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CONVENIENT  HOUSES 


WITH 


Fifty  Plans  for  the  Housekeeper 


ARCHITECT  AND  HOUSEWIFE  — A  JOURNEY 
THROUGH  THE  HOUSE  — FIFTY  CONVENIENT 
HOUSE  PLANS  — PRACTICAL  HOUSE  BUILD- 
ING FOR  THE  OWNER  — BUSINESS  POINTS 
IN    BUILDING  — HOW   TO   PAY   FOR    A    HOME 


BY 

LOUIS    H.    GIBSON 

ARCHITECT 


NEW    YORK: 

THOMAS  Y.   CROWELL  &   CO. 


Copyright,  1889, 
By  Louis  H.  Gibson. 


C.  J.  PETERS  &  SON, 

Typographers  and  Electrotypers, 

146  High  Street,  Boston. 


PREFACE. 

^\  T  7 HEN  the  reader  is  familiar  with  the  writer's  general 
™  »  purposes,  it  is  easier  to  understand  the  details  of 
his  work.  This  book  is  intended  to  deal  with  houses  in  a 
housekeeping  spirit.  In  doing  this,  the  architect  has  in  mind 
convenience,  stability,  and  that  ideal  of  housekeepers,  beauty 
of  surroundings. 

In  carrying  out  this  idea,  the  relation  of  architecture  to 
good  and  economical  housekeeping  is  first  considered.  Follow- 
ing this  division  is  "  A  Journey  through  the  House."  It  begins 
at  the  porch,  moves  through  the  different  rooms,  and  stops  to 
consider  the  various  details.  This  brings  about  not  only 
a  consideration  of  the  general  arrangement  of  a  house,  but  such 
details  as  kitchens  and  pantries,  plumbing,  laundry,  and 
heating. 

These  first  two  sections  of  the  book — "  The  Architect  and 
the  Housewife,"  and  "A  Journey  through  the  House"  —  are,  in 
a  measure,  educational.  After  this,  and  in  keeping  with  the 
general  principles  that  have  been  set  forth,  plans  of  fifty  conven- 
ient houses  are  illustrated  and  described.  For  the  most  part, 
they  are  houses  that  have  been  built. 

The    next   section    is    devoted    to   practical  house-building. 

3 


4  PREFACE. 

It  is  constructed  by  taking  a  complete  specification  for  every- 
thing which  may  concern  a  dwelling-house,  and  ridding  it,  as 
far  as  possible,  of  all  technicalities ;  thus  putting  in  form  all 
practical  house-building  questions  for  the  benefit  of  the  owner. 

Following  this  is  the  consideration  of  business  points  in 
building,  which  sets  forth  methods  of  letting  contracts  with 
the  view  of  securing  the  best  results  without  waste  of  money. 

The  closing  section  is  devoted  to  the  getting  of  a  home,  — 
how  to  arrange  the  monthly-payment  schemes,  building- 
association   plans,  and  other  methods  for  getting  a  house  on 

easy  instalments. 

LOUIS    H.   GIBSON,  Architect. 

Indianapolis,  Ind.,  September,  1889. 


CONTENTS. 


THE  ARCHITECT  AND   THE  HOUSEWIFE. 

CHAPTER   I. 

The  Housekeeper  and  the  Architect.  —  Floor-plans  as  related 
to  Good  Housekeeping.  —  Labor-saving  Devices.  —  Economy 
and  Good  Construction.  —  Compact  Houses  not  necessarily 
crowded.  —  Wood-work  that  is  readily  cleaned    ....     11-15 

CHAPTER    II. 

Housekeeping  Operations. — The  Work  of  the  Housekeeper. — 
The  Average  Housework  of  a  Week.  —  The  Architect's 
Lesson  therefrom 16-20 

CHAPTER   III. 

Modern  Conveniences.  —  A  Little  History.  —  Plans  that  make 

Extra  Work.  —  Modern  Conveniences  enumerated     .     .     .     21-25 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Modern  Architects  and  the  Housekeeper.  —  Misplaced  Houses. 
—  Old  Colonial  Poverty  in  Modern  Colonial  Houses. — 
Affectation  in  Design.  —  Natural  Development  of  Ameri- 
can Architecture.  —  American  Architecture  and  American 
Homes 26-28 

A  JOUR  NET   THROUGH   THE   HOUSE. 

CHAPTER    V. 

Journey  through  the  House.  —  Porch. — Vestibule.  —  Hall. — 
Long  Halls  and  Square  Halls.  —  The  Hall  that  is  a 
Room.  —  Reception-hall.  —  Parlor.  —  Sitting-room.  —  Dining- 
room   3I~3^ 

1 


2  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Kitchens.  —  The  Kitchen  a  Workshop.  —  Work  to  be  done  in 
a  Kitchen.  —  A  Plan.  —  Fittings.  —  Dish-washing  Conven- 
iences. —  Sink  and  Tables.  —  China-closet.  —  Pantry.  — 
Combination  Pantry.  —  Pantry  Fittings.  —  Work  in  a 
Pantry.  —  A  Dough-board.  —  Flour-bin.  —  Pantry  Stores.  — 
Cupboard.  —  Refrigerator  Arrangements.  —  Pantry  Uten- 
sils. —  A    Dry-box.  —  Soap-box.  —  Ventilation    of    Kitchen. 

—  General  Principles  of  Kitchen  Planning 39-5° 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Cellar.  —  Fuel  Departments.  —  Furnace  Conveniences.  —  Coal- 
bins.  —  Cement  Floors.  —  Light  in  the  Cellar.  —  A  Cellar- 
closet. —  Outside  Cellar-door 51—53 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

A  Low-cost  Laundry.  —  Blue  Monday.  —  Basement  Laundry.  — 
Low-cost  Conveniences.  —  Inexpensive  Laundry  Fittings.  — 
Hot  and  Cold  Water  Arrangements.  —  A  Labor-saving 
Laundry.  —  A  Place  to  do  Fruit-canning 54-58 

CHAPTER    IX. 

The   Second   Floor.  —  Stairways.  —  The   Combination  Stairway. 

—  Ideal  Number  of  Bedrooms.  —  Large  Closets  and  Plenty 
of  Them.  —  A  Linen  Closet.  —  Placing  of  Gas-fixtures. — 
Servant's  Room.  —  Bath-room. — An  Attic.  —  Attic  Closets. 

—  Attic  Rooms 59-63 

CHAPTER   X. 

Plumbing.  —  Is  Plumbing  entirely  Safe  ?  —  Completeness  in 
Plumbing    Apparatus.  —  Labor-saving    Plumbing    Apparatus. 

—  Sewer  Connections.  —  Soil  Pipe.  —  A  Trap.  —  Accidents 
to  Traps.  —  Frequent  use  of  Plumbing  Apparatus  Desir- 
able for  Safety.  —  Water-closets.  —  Simplicity  in  Plumbing. 

—  Drain  Connections.  —  To  keep  Plumbing  Apparatus  from 
Freezing.  —  Cistern  Water  Supply.  —  Grease  Sink.  —  Flush- 
ing of  Drain.  —  Bath-tub 64-74 


CONTENTS.  3 

CHAPTER    XL 

Heat  and  Ventilation.  —  Common  Heating  Arrangements.  — 
Present  Methods  generally  Unsatisfactory.  —  Ideal  Con- 
ditions. —  Proper  Amount  of  Moisture  rarely  attained.  — 
A  Furnace  defined.  —  Methods  of  Reaching  Best  Results. 

—  Supply  of  Proper  Amount  of  Moisture.  —  Removal  of 
Foul  Air.  —  Supplying  Fresh  Air  with  Proper  Moisture 
from    Stoves.  —  Steam    and    Hot-water    Heating.  —  Direct 

and  Indirect  Radiation.  —  Low-cost  Heating  Apparatus    .     75-82 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Heating  Devices  as  we  find  them.  —  Furnace  Estimates.  — 
Combination  Hot  Air  and  Hot  Water.  —  Dish-warming 
Arrangements.  —  How  to  get  a  Good  Heating  Apparatus.     83-85 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

The  House  and  its  Beauty.  —  Artistic  Surroundings.  —  Beauty 
more  a  Matter  of  Intelligence  than  Money. — Vestibule 
Decorations.  —  Beauty  in  the  Reception-hall.  —  Mantels 
and    Grates.  —  Fret-work    and   Portieres.  —  Spindle  Work. 

—  Simple  Forms  of  Good  Decoration.  —  Wood-carving.  — 
Door  and  Window  Casings.  —  A  Conservatory.  —  Stained 
Glass.  —  A    Cabinet   on    the   Mantel.  —  Tinted  Plastering. 

—  Frescoing.  —  Safety  in  the  Selection  of  Colors.  —  An 
Attractive  Sitting-room.  —  The  Parlor.  —  A  Reception- 
room.  —  Parlor  History.  —  The  Ideal  Parlor.  —  The 
Library.  —  A  Place  of  Quiet  and  Rest.  —  Library  Fur- 
nishings. —  The  Dining-room.  —  Social  Relations  of  the 
Dining-room.  —  Dining-room  Decorations.  —  Conservatory 
and  Dining-room.  —  A  Wood  Ceiling.  —  Beauty  in  Bed- 
rooms.—  Quiet  and  Light 86-100 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

External  and  Internal  Design.  —  An  Old  Topic  before  the 
People.  —  The  Architectural  Student's  Dream.  —  A  Beau- 
tiful Home  the  Housekeeper's  Ambition.  —  It  costs  no 
more  to  have  a  House  Beautiful  than  Ugly.  —  Architect- 
ural Education.  —  Charles  Eastlake's  Book.  —  Vulgar 
Architectural  Revivals.  —  The  Growth  of  the  Artistic 
Idea.  —  Beauty  a  Matter  of  Refinement 101-105 


CONTENTS. 


PLANS  OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

CHAPTER    XV. 

* 

Evolution  of  a  House-plan.  —  Respectable  Dimensions  for  a 
Moderate  Price.  —  Six  Plans.  —  Costs  from  $1,500  to 
$2,600  ....  109-117 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

A  Small  Pocket-book  and  a  Large  Idea.  —  Ambition,  Dollars, 
and  a  Good  House.  —  The  Growth  of  the  Housekeeper's 
Ideas.  —  Points  about  the  House.  —  $2,900 118-125 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

"We  know  what  we   want."  —  A    Convenient    Plan.  —  Meeting 

the  Wants  of  People  who  build 126-130 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Two   Good   Rooms  in  Front.  —  The  Combination  Pantry. — Too 

much  Cellar  a  Burden.  —  $2.500 131-134 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

Sitting-room  and  Parlor  in  Front.  —  A  Connecting  Vestibule. 
—  A  Central  Combination  Stairway. — Good  Rooms  in  the 
Attic 135-138 

CHAPTER    XX. 

A  Compact  Plan.  —  An  Isolated  Reception-room.  —  Combination 
Stairway.  —  Description  of  the  Floor -plan.  —  Cellar 
Arrangement. — Dining-room  and  Conservatory. — Another 
Plan    .... 


139-144 


CHAPTER   XXI. 


What  can  be  done  for  $1,600?  —  The  Closet  in  the  Hall. — 
A  Small,  Convenient  Kitchen.  —  Closets  in  the  Bed- 
rooms .... 


HS"^1 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 


Outgrowths  of  One  Idea.  —  Everything  counts  as  a  Room.  — 
One  Chimney.  —  Conveniences  of  a  Condensed  House.  — 
Cost  from  $i,6oo  to  $2,800 152-156 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

One-story  Plans.  —  Description  of  Floor-plans.  —  Bath-room 
next  to  Kitchen  Flue.  —  Kitchen,  Porch,  and  Pantry.  — 
The  Exterior,  —  Enlargements  on  this  Plan.  —  Other  One- 
story  Houses 157-163 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 
Side-hall  Plans.  —  Plans  with  Bedroom  on  First  Floor  .     .     164-170 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

Miscellaneous  Collection.  —  Short  Descriptions  of  Eleven 
House-  plans.  —  Varying  Costs.  —  Square  Plans.  —  One- 
chimney  Plans.  —  Rear  and  Side  Hall 171-181 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Eight  Plans. —  Each  suited  to  Family  Requirements.  —  Double 
Houses.  —  An    Elaborate    Floor-plan. — A   Shingle   House. 

—  A  Brick  House 182-193 

PRACTICAL    HOUSE-BUILDING. 

CHAPTER   XXVII. 

Practical  Points.  —  Water.  —  Location  of  House  on  Lot.  — 
Draining  the  Cellar.  —  Mason  Work.  —  Foundations.  — 
Walks.  —  Piers.  —  Flues.  —  Cisterns.  —  Damp  Course  .     .     197-200 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

Brick  Foundations.  —  Laying  Brick.  —  Colored  Mortars.  — 
Colored  Bricks.  —  Brick  Veneering.  —  Hot-air  Flues.  — 
Details    of    Brick    Construction.  —  Chimneys    and    Flues. 

—  Hollow  Walls.  —  Cellar.  —  Ash-pits.  —  Grates  .     .     .     201-206 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 

Stone   Masonry.  —  Cut   Stone.  —  Terra  Cotta.  —  Privy  Vaults. 

—  Cisterns.  —  Filters  for  Cisterns.  —  Brick  Pavements.  — 
Cement  Pavements 207-212 

CHAPTER   XXX. 

Carpenter-work.  —  Framing.  —  Size  of  Timbers.  —  Height  of 
Stories.  —  Joist.  —  Stud  Walls.  —  Outside  Sheathing.  — 
Building-paper.  —  Roofs.  —  Outside  Finish.  —  Outside 
Shingle  Walls.  —  Outside  Casings.  —  Windows  with  Box 
Frames.  —  Hinged  or  Pivoted  Windows.  —  Outside  Shutters. 

—  Porches.  —  Lattice  Porches 213-221 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Inside    Wood-work.  —  Floors.  —  Soft   and  Hard  Wood  Floors. 

—  Tabulated  Statement  of  Inside  Finish.  — ■  Different 
Kinds  of  Wood.  —  Doors  and  Frames.  —  Fly  Screens.  — 
Inside  Casings.  —  Wainscoting.  —  Inside  Shutters.  —  Wood- 
work for  Plumbing.  —  Kitchen  Sink  and  Fittings.  — 
Kitchen  Tables.  —  Cellar-sink  Fittings.  —  Wood-work  for 
Bath  -  tub.  —  Water  -  closets.  —  Wash  -  stands.  —  Tank.  — 
Picture  Moulding.  —  Closet  Fittings.  —  Broom  -  Rack.  — 
Cedar  -  closet.  —  Dry-box.  —  Clock  Shelf.  —  China-room 
Fittings.  —  Pantry  Fittings.  —  Stairways 222-235 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 

Plastering.  —  Gray  Finish.  —  White  Hard  Finish.  —  Back  Plas- 
tering. —  Gas-piping.  —  Tin     Work.  —  Gutters.  —  Valleys. 

—  Down  Spouts.  —  Galvanized    Iron-work.  —  Hot-air  Pipes. 

—  Thimbles.  —  Painting.  —  Staining.  —  Oil  Finishing.  — 
Interior  Staining.  —  Floor  Finish.  —  Glazing.  —  Plate- 
glass.  —  Bevelled  Glass.  —  Cathedral  Glass.  —  Hard- 
ware         236-246 

CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

Practical  Plumbing.  —  Wood-work  for  Plumber.  —  Excavating 
for    Plumber.  —  Water    Distribution. — Outside    Fixtures. 

—  Hydrants.  —  Street- washers  . —  Soft- water  Supply.  —  Hot- 
Water  Supply.  —  Soil  Pipe.  —  Inside  Fixtures.  —  Kitchen 
Sink.  —  Cellar  Sink 247-254 


CONTENTS.  7 

CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

Plumbing  Work  continued.  —  Bath-tubs. — Bath-sprinklers. — 
Foot-tubs.  —  Safes.  —  Water-closets.  —  Wash-stands.  — Laun- 
dry Fittings.  —  Set  Tubs.  —  Outside  Drains.  —  Grease 
Sinks.  —  Nickel  Fittings 255-263 

CHAPTER   XXXV. 

Cost   of   a   House.  —  Schedules   of    Costs.  —  What  goes  into  a 

House.  —  Schedule  "  B."  —  Cost  Details 264-269 

CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

Varying    Building    Values.  —  Cost   of    Appurtenances.  —  Prices 

of  Labor  and  Material  on  which    Estimates  are  based.     270-274 

BUSINESS  POINTS  IN  BUILDING. 

CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

Low-cost  Houses.  —  Methods  of  making  Contracts.  —  Architects' 
Estimates.  —  Building  by  the  Day.  —  The  Safest  Plan.  — 
Guarding  against  Liens 277-287 

HOW   TO    SECURE  A    HOME. 

CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

Monthly  Payments.  —  Calculations  on  a  Long-time  Plan.  — 
Purchase  on  a  Rental  Basis.  —  How  it  may  be  worked 
out 291-294 

CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

Building  Associations.  —  Why  Dividends  are  Large  and  Inter- 
est Low.  —  Building  Associations  and  Savings  Banks.  — 
Association  Securities.  —  Building-association  Methods.  — 
Different  Plans.  —  Borrowing  from  a  Building  Associa- 
tion.—  A  Building-association  Report 295-311 

CHAPTER    XL. 

Purchase  of  a  Lot.  —  The  Best  the  Cheapest.  —  A  Good  Lot 
as  a  Basis  of  Security.  —  The  Basis  of  Value  is  the 
Rental 312-316 


THE  ARCHITECT  AND   THE   HOUSEWIFE. 


CONVENIENT   HOUSES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  HOUSEKEEPER  AND    THE  ARCHITECT. FLOOR- PLANS  AS  RELATED 

TO     GOOD     HOUSEKEEPING. LABOR-SAVING     DEVICES. ECONOMY 

AND    GOOD    CONSTRUCTION. COMPACT    HOUSES    NOT    NECESSARILY 

CROWDED. WOOD-WORK   THAT    IS    READILY    CLEANED. 

THERE  is  a  definite  relation  between  the  work  of  the  house- 
keeper and  that  of  the  architect.  This  is  the  text  of  this 
book.  It  is  a  part  of  the  business  of  the  architect  to  do  what 
he  can  to  make  housekeeping  easy.  He  can  do  a  great  deal. 
He  should  understand  the  principles  and  practice  of  good  house- 
keeping. This  knowledge  is  something  which  cannot  be  derived 
from  the  architectural  schools  or  offices  ;  it  must  come  from  a 
home.  The  public  press  of  the  country  has  had  a  great  deal 
to  say  about  the  artistic  qualities  of  domestic  architecture,  a 
great  deal  to  say  about  house  decoration,  and,  altogether,  has 
furnished  much  valuable  matter.  Little,  however,  has  been 
said  as  to  the  relation  of  architecture  to  good  housekeeping. 
The  artistic  element  should  not  be  neglected.  There  must  also 
be  considered  the  question  of  convenient  arrangement,  econ- 
omy and  ease,  for  the  housekeeper. 

Washing  dishes  is  disagreeable  work,  but  the  architect  can 
do  his  part  toward  making  it  easier.  If  we  take  a  conglomerate 
mass  of  china,  knives,  forks,  and  spoons,  pots,  pans,  and  kettles, 


12  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

and  bring  them  together  on  one  small  kitchen  table,  which  has  a 
dish-pan  on  one  end  and  a  wooden  water-bucket  at  the  back,  with 
a  scarcity  of  everything  to  facilitate  the  progress  of  the  work,  we 
have  a  condition  quite  different  from  that  wherein  there  is  a  roomy 
sink  with  a  table  on  each  side  of  it,  and  plenty  of  hot  and  cold 
water  above.  An  architect  may  plan  a  kitchen  so  that  all  of  these 
conveniences  are  possible.     He  may  plan  it  so  they  are  impossible. 

The  floor-plan  of  a  house  has  a  definite  relation  to  house 
keeping  requirements,  which  is  not  fully  appreciated.  The 
difference  between  a  good  floor-plan  and  a  poor  one  may  make 
the  difference  of  three  or  four  tons  of  coal  in  the  heating  of 
a  house  during  the  winter.  It  may  influence  the  keeping  of  a 
servant,  the  wages  to  be  paid,  or  may  control  the  necessity  for 
one  or  more  than  one.  It  makes  more  difference  to  a  man  who 
lives  in  a  house  that  costs  two  thousand  dollars  or  three  thou- 
sand dollars,  as  to  whether  he  burns  seven  or  ten  tons  of  coal 
in  warming  it,  than  it  does  to  the  man  who  lives  in  a  ten-thou- 
sand-dollar or  twelve-thousand-dollar  house  as  to  whether  he 
burns  fourteen  or  twenty  tons.  The  cost  of  fuel  is  of  more 
importance  to  a  man  of  moderate  means  than  to  one  of  wealth. 
Then  in  the  matter  of  service  :  it  is  difficult  to  keep  a  good  servant 
in  a  bad  kitchen,  or  in  a  badly  planned  house  where  there  is  a 
vast  amount  of  sweeping  and  other  work  to  be  done  every  day 
Those  who  plan  factories  and  mills  arrange  them  with  reference 
to  the  saving  of  labor.    The  idea  in  saving  labor  is  to  save  money. 

One  can  build  a  better  house  for  a  given  sum  of  money  at 
this  time  than  ever  before.  The  real  reason  for  this  is  to  be 
found  outside  the  fact  that  material  and  labor  are  cheaper  now 
than  they  have  been  in  the  past.  It  is  because  of  the  thought 
that  is  put  into  the  planning  and  arranging  of  dwellings.  It  is 
the  thought  that  saves  the  money.     It  adds  external  and  internal 


THE  ARCHITECT  AND    THE   HOUSEWIFE.  13 

attractiveness,  convenience,  labor-saving  devices,  and  arrange- 
ments.    Thought  helps  to  make  housekeeping  easier. 

Economical  housekeeping  can  be  most  readily  carried  on  in 
a  compact  house.  To  say  that  a  house  is  compact  does  not 
necessarily  imply  that  it  is  crowded,  or  that  any  of  the  conditions 
of  comfort  are  neglected.  If  we  avoid  waste  space,  such  as  is 
frequently  assigned  to  large  halls  and  passages,  we  merely  take 
away  something  that  is  not  needed. 

It  frequently  happens  that  a  man  and  his  wife  go  through 
life  with  the  hope  of  building  a  better  house  "  some  day."  They 
are  economical ;  they  live  carefully  ;  they  live  in  a  small  house  ; 
they  are  crowded.  At  last,  by  dint  of  hard  work  and  careful 
management,  enough  money  is  accumulated  to  build  the  new 
home.  This  is  the  great  event  which  has  been  thought  about 
for  so  many  years. 

The  idea  in  building  this  house  is  invariably  to  get  something 
as  different  from  the  old  house  as  possible.  It  was  square  ;  the 
new  building  must  be  irregular.  It  had  no  front  hall ;  the  new 
house  must  have  a  large  one.  There  were  no  grates  in  any  of 
the  rooms  ;  in  the  new  house  there  must  be  one  in  each.  In 
the  old  building  the  rooms  were  very  small ;  in  the  new  house 
they  must  be  very  large.  There  was  no  porch  before  ;  now 
there  must  be  one  running  across  the  front  and  along  one  side 
of  the  house.  Altogether,  the  idea  of  the  old  house  and  that 
of  the  new  are  in  direct  opposition  to  each  other.  In  one 
instance  they  were  crowded  ;  in  the  other  they  have  plenty  of 
room.     There  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  abundance  of  room. 

The  building  is  finished;  they  move  into  it.  Almost  the 
first  person  to  leave  it  is  the  servant  whom  they  had  in  the  old 
house.  She  sees  the  amount  of  work  which  she  will  have  to  do. 
It  was  easy  enough  to  sweep  the  old  house,  with  its  small,  com- 


14  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

pact  plan.  Housekeeping-  was  relatively  a  small  matter ;  but 
with  the  habits  of  economy,  which  rendered  the  new  home  possi- 
ble, they  will  not  employ  additional  help.  The  work  which  is 
left  over  by  the  servant  falls  to  the  mistress.  Strange  as  it  may 
appear  under  such  circumstances,  it  takes  the  mistress  a  long 
time  to  find  the  cause  of  the  trouble.  It  is  the  house.  It 
was  planned  with  an  entire  disregard  for  the  work  which  was  to 
be  done.  It  had  not  been  thought  of.  The  idea  was  merely 
to  get  something  which  was  different  from  the  disagreeable 
features  of  the  old  home.  They  thought  that  everything  would 
be  easier  and  pleasanter  and  more  agreeable  in  every  way.  The 
only  trouble  with  the  old  home  was  that  they  were  too  much 
crowded.  In  the  new  they  are  not,  but  have  an  impossible 
amount  of  work  to  do  every  day.  The  difference  between  what 
they  wish  to  do  and  what  is  done,  is  represented  by  fretfulness 
in  addition  to  the  natural  weariness  at  the  end  of  the  day. 

What  has  this  to  do  with  architecture  and  economical  house- 
building ?  Simply  this.  The  house  which  is  economically 
planned  is  economical  as  to  money,  carpets,  sweeping,  and 
strength.  The  architect  may  do  a  great  deal  for  housekeepers 
by  keeping  this  thought  in  mind. 

To  recur  to  the  idea  of  economical  house-building  in  a  direct 
sense,  it  may  be  borne  in  mind  that  economy  and  good  con- 
struction go  hand  in  hand  ;  that  none  of  the  conditions  of  per- 
manency are  sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  cheapness.  Of  two 
houses  which  cost  the  same,  one  may  be  far  more  convenient 
and  roomy  by  an  avoidance  of  waste  space  and  unnecessary 
material.  Evidently  one  flue-stack  will  cost  less  than  four. 
Therefore,  if  a  house  can  'be  constructed  which  has  only  one 
flue-stack,  it  will  cost  less  than  one  which  has  four;  but  the 
demands  of  the  housekeeper,  and  those  who  live  in  the  house, 


THE   ARCHITECT  AND    THE   HOUSEWIFE.  1 5 

are  that  the  one  stack  afford  the  conveniences  of  four.  People 
do  not  like  compromises  in  house-building,  especially  when  they 
are  building  a  home.  The  compromises  come  easier  when  one  is 
planning  property  for  rental.  Evidently  a  house  in  which  one-fifth 
of  the  floor  space  is  given  up  to  halls  is  more  expensive  than 
one  which  contains  a  smaller  proportion  of  such  space.  Accord- 
ing as  one  is  able  to  diminish  the  amount  of  passage  room,  and 
yet  meet  all  of  the  conditions  of  good  and  economical  house- 
keeping, he  can  reduce  the  cost  of  the  house  as  to  its  building, 
its  furnishing,  and  the  amount  of  labor  required  in  caring  for  it. 
Thus  economy  in  construction,  and  convenience  and  ease  in 
general  housekeeping  movements,  go  hand  in  hand.  Parallel 
illustrations  might  be  carried  forward,  so  as  to  include  each 
detail  of  the  house. 

The  architect  may  do  a  great  deal  for  the  housekeeper  by 
making  his  mouldings  and  interior  wood-work  so  that  they  will 
not  catch  dust,  and  can  be  readily  cleaned.  Some  of  our  friends, 
who  have  studied  the  artistic  qualities  of  house-building  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  other  considerations,  will  say  that  a  regard  for 
housekeeping  requirements,  in  the  matter  of  interior  decorations 
and  construction,  is  placing  too  great  a  limit  upon  their  work. 
They  will  say  that  beauty  and  general  artistic  qualities  are  not 
always  consonant  with  the  means  which  will  make  easy  house- 
keeping, —  that  they  are  limited  by  such  considerations.  This 
need  not  be  so  ;  it  is  simply  a  question  of  ingenuity  and  thought- 
fulness.  One  may  be  careless  of  utility,  and  make  very  beautiful 
things.  Another  may  be  thoughtful  and  careful  as  to  house- 
keeping requirements,  and  design  something  quite  as  beautiful 
and  attractive  as  the  former. 

In  the  above  statements  will  be  found  the  guiding  principles 
which  affect  all  of  the  work  of  this  book. 


CHAPTER   II. 

HOUSEKEEPING     OPERATIONS. THE     WORK     OF    THE     HOUSEKEEPER. 

THE     AVERAGE     HOUSEWORK     OF    A    WEEK.  THE   ARCHITECT'S 

LESSON    THEREFROM. 

WITH  the  architect  a  house  has  been  too  often  considered 
as  something  to  be  looked  at.  No  one  is  disposed  to 
criticise  an  architect  for  making  houses.,  pretty  and  attractive. 
It  is  true,  however,  that  many  houses  are  nothing  more  than 
pretty ;  they  are  not  convenient.  They  are  not  built  with  a 
regard  to  the  requirements  of  housekeeping.  A  lady  once  said 
to  the  writer,  that  an  architect  would  never  live  up  to  his  oppor- 
tunities until  he  had  associated  himself  with  a  housekeeper, 
who  would  be  strong  enough,  in  her  control  over  him,  to  see 
that  the  housekeeping  conditions  and  conveniences  were  kept 
constantly  in  mind. 

In  order  fully  to  reach  the  housekeeping  idea,  it  will  be  con- 
venient to  consider  in  detail  what  is  meant  by  housekeeping. 
Primarily,  a  house  is  a  place  in  which  to  eat  and  sleep.  The 
present  requirements  of  comfort  and  luxury  suggest  that  all 
should  not  eat  and  sleep  in  the  same  room.  Originally  this  was 
the  case.  The  primitive  man  needed  only  a  hut  or  a  cave,  or 
the  protection  of  a  rude  shed.  Later  on,  he  was  satisfied  with 
a  hut  with  one  or  two  rooms.  If  the  weather  was  cold,  the 
occupants  would  huddle  around  the  fire,  and  eat  and  sleep 
without  regard  to  other  surroundings.  A  bath  in  cold  weather 
was  unnecessary.     During  the  summer  this  was  regarded  more 

16 


THE   ARCHITECT  AND    THE  HOUSEWIFE.  I J 

as  a  matter  of  recreation  than  of  necessity.  A  neighboring 
stream  served  the  purpose  of  more  modern  arrangements. 
Housekeeping  operations  under  such  conditions  were  light 
indeed. 

There  are  many  homes  of  this  kind  in  America  to-day. 
If  we  take  the  case  of  our  Indians,  we  find  that  the  squaws 
have  time  for  much  else  than  the  absolute  duties  of  camp-life 
and  the  care  of  children.  There  is  much  other  labor  which  falls 
to  their  lot,  house-work  being  regarded,  as  it  is,  insignificant. 
This  is  one  extreme.  There  are  various  gradations  which  come 
with  the  instincts  of  a  higher  civilization.  Education,  and  other 
conditions  which  go  with  it,  increase  housekeeping  requirements, 
and  thus  far  have  not  furnished  to  the  majority  compensating 
conditions  in  labor-saving  devices.  At  the.  present  time,  the 
natural  and  affected  requirements  of  housekeeping  make  the 
life  of  many  a  woman  one  of  the  extremest  drudgery  and  hard- 
ship. Her  condition  is  almost  that  of  a  slave ;  and  this  at  a 
time  when  she  is  surrounded  by  many  of  the  elements  of 
a  higher  civilization.  Her  children  and  those  around  her  fre- 
quently live  under  the  shadow  of  her  uncomfortable  condition. 
The  Indian's  home,  in  the  rest  and  peace  which  it  affords,  is  often 
preferable.  This  condition  is  brought  about  by  the  increasing 
requirements  upon  the  housekeeper,  without  the  presence  of 
other  compensating  conditions. 

Assuming  that  an  architect  may  do  something  to  make 
the  care  of  a  house  lighter,  it  remains  to  call  attention  to 
the  modern  requirements  of  a  housekeeper,  with  a  view  of  sim- 
plifying her  work.  Let  us  watch  her  work  for  a  week  ;  we  will 
begin  on  Monday  morning  during  the  month  of  January,  and 
assume  that  there  is  one  servant  in  the  house  to  help,  —  bearing 
in  mind,  at  the  same  time,  that  it  often  happens  that  the  work 


1 8  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

which  is  here  outlined  is  done  by  the  housekeeper  herself,  with 
possibly  only  the  help  of  a  wash-woman.  First,  the  house  is  to 
be  warmed,  the  kitchen  fire  to  be  kindled,  the  living-rooms 
to  be  swept  and  dusted,  the  washing  to  be  started,  the  children 
to  be  dressed,  breakfast  to  be  cooked  and  put  on  the  table,  and, 
in  many  cases,  all  of  this  done  before  seven  o'clock.  The 
serving  of  breakfast  is  no  small  task  to  the  housekeeper.  The 
coffee  is  to  be  poured,  food  prepared  for  the  children,  and  many 
other  things  done  which  no  man  can  specify.  As  soon  as 
breakfast  is  over  the  men  are  out  of  the  house,  but  not  usually 
before  making  more  than  one  demand  upon  the  time  of  the 
housekeeper.  Then  the  dishes  are  to  be  washed,  and  the  chil- 
dren made  ready  and  started  to  school.  Next,  the  grocery  and 
butcher  supplies  must  be  cared  for.  Possibly  they  are  ordered 
from  the  boy  who  calls  at  the  door.  In  some  instances  a  trip 
for  this  purpose  is  required.  Next,  the  dining-room  must  be 
arranged,  the  dishes  put  in  place,  the  chamber-work  attended 
to,  beds  made,  children's  things  put  away,  sweeping  done,  slops 
disposed  of,  fires  looked  after.  Some  time  or  in  some  way  the 
clothes  worn  by  the  children  on  Sunday  must  be  especially 
looked  after,  stitches  taken,  a  little  darn  here  and  there,  and  then 
put  away.  During  this  time  there  may  be  the  demands  of  one 
or  more  babies  to  be  met.  In  this  there  is  no  compromise. 
With  the  completion  of  other  work  dinner  time  is  approach- 
ing, for,  with  the  majority,  this  is  a  noon  meal.  The  cooking 
must  be  done,  and  yet  nothing  else  must  be  allowed  to  lag. 
The  children  in  their  confusion  are  home  from  school.  Then 
dinner.  Every  one  is  in  a  hurry  to  get  away.  The  children  are 
sure  they  are  going  to  be  late.  There  is  more  work  for  them 
and  the  men,  and  then  they  are  gone.  Dinner  dishes  are 
washed,  and  the  laundry  work  continues.    The  afternoon  is  little 


THE  ARCHITECT  AND    THE   HOUSEWIFE.  19 

different  from  the  morning ;  there  is  a  little  less  rush  and  con- 
fusion, but  a  continuance  of  regular  work.  Before  supper  the 
evening  supply  of  fuel  must  be  provided.  In  the  mean  time 
the  children  are  home  from  school  with  their  demands.  Now 
supper  must  be  in  mind.  Where  there  are  children  in  the  house, 
this  is  one  of  the  most  trying  times  of  the  day.  They  are  tired, 
hungry,  and  sleepy.  Supper  is  over.  The  children  go  to  bed 
at  intervals  during  the  evening.  The  men  have  a  place  by 
the  fire.  The  housekeeper  often  feels  it  incumbent  upon  her  to 
mend,  darn,  or  sew,  if  no  heavier  work  presents  itself. 

Tuesday  morning  calls  for  a  repetition  of  the  former  day's 
work,  with  ironing  substituted  for  washing.  There  is  the  carry- 
ing-out of  ashes  and  the  bringing-in  of  coal,  and  the  same  routine 
during  the  day.  On  the  part  of  the  housekeeper  regular  sewing- 
work  is  taken  up  as  opportunity  presents,  and  possibly  calls  are 
made  or  received.  Wednesday,  the  same.  Thursday,  the  ser- 
vant, if  one  is  kept,  is  out  for  the  afternoon.  Other  regular 
work  must  progress.  Compromises  are  not  thought  of.  Friday 
is  general  sweeping-day,  in  which  everything  is  thoroughly  gone 
over.  The  housekeeper  must  find  time  to  go  down  street  one 
or  more  times  during  the  week,  for  the  purpose  of  doing  neces- 
sary shopping.  Saturday  brings  its  scrubbing  and  cleaning. 
During  the  week  must  come  the  window-washing,  cleaning  of 
silver,  baking,  and  many  things  besides. 

Sunday  is  often  the  hardest  day  of  all ;  the  children  require 
especial  care.  There  is  church  in  the  morning,  Sunday  school 
in  the  afternoon,  and,  in  many  cases,  church  at  night.  In  the 
mean  while  the  children  are  on  hand  all  the  time.  Where  is 
the  man  who  will  say  that  his  business  life  is  as  exacting  or  as 
harassing  as  the  work  which  is  here  outlined  ? 


20  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

In  the  pages  which  follow  it  is  the  intention  to  bear 
the  housekeeper  and  her  requirements  in  mind,  and  to 
suggest  what  is  properly  due  her  in  the  way  of  labor-saving 
devices,  with  a  view  to  facilitate  the  manifold  operations  of 
housekeeping. 


CHAPTER   III. 

MODERN    CONVENIENCES. A    LITTLE    HISTORY.  PLANS    THAT    MAKE 

EXTRA    WORK. MODERN    CONVENIENCES    ENUMERATED. 

MOST  of  the  conveniences  of  housekeeping  are  modern. 
It  is  only  within  the  past  few  years  that  the  demands  of 
the  housekeeper  for  helps  or  aids  in  making  her  work  easier 
were  thought  worth  considering.  Even  now  we  occasionally 
meet  men  who  think  that  anything  that  was  good  enough  for 
their  mothers  is  good  enough  for  their  wives.  We  have  in  mind 
a  farmer  who,  during  fifteen  years,  purchased  three  large  farms. 
He  buried  a  wife  for  every  farm.  Their  death  was  the  result  of 
more  than  slavish  work.  The  disposition  which  leads  in  this 
direction  often  continues  after  the  time  when  economy  does  not 
demand  close  living. 

The  man  who  moves  west  to  a  new  country  cannot  pay  for 
many  of  the  modern  conveniences.  The  demand  for  them  is 
not  great.  Such  a  man  usually  builds  a  house  of  two  or  three 
rooms.  The  family  cook  and  eat  in  the  kitchen  ;  they  sit  there 
between  meals.  The  other  rooms  are  for  beds.  There  is  not  a 
great  deal  of  house-work  to  be  done  in  a  house  of  this  kind. 
The  trouble  comes  when  the  pioneer  becomes  wealthier,  and 
builds  a  large  house  "in  town"  or  on  the  farm.  Possibly  his 
wife  or  daughters  do  the  work  as  they  did  in  the  smaller  house. 
If  not,  it  is  done  by  one  servant.  The  work  in  this  house  is  a 
great  deal  harder.  There  is  a  great  deal  more  of  it  than  there 
was  in  the  two  or  three  room  house,  which  was  built  during  their 


2  2  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

earlier  life.  In  the  former  house,  if  they  had  coffee,  it  was  poured 
from  the  pot  in  which  it  was  made  directly  into  the  cups  which 
were  on  the  table.  The  meat  was  taken  from  the  skillet  in  which 
it  was  cooked  and  put  into  the  plates  of  those  who  ate  it.  If 
they  had  pancakes,  the  wife  would  sit  with  her  back  near  the 
stove,  where  she  could  easily  reach  the  griddle  to  grease  it  and 
turn  the  cakes  while  she  was  eating  her  meal.  There  was  no 
formal  dessert.  The  pie  was  eaten  from  the  same  plates  as  the 
rest  of  the  food.  There  were  no  napkins ;  often,  no  table- 
cloth. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  wash  the  dishes  after  a  meal  of  this 
kind  —  there  were  not  many  of  them.  In  from  fifteen  to  twenty- 
five  minutes  after  the  meal  was  over,  the  wife  could  be  seen 
sitting  by  the  kitchen  stove,  sewing  or  knitting.  The  pans  and 
the  kettles  were  out  of  the  way,  and  the  kitchen  was  turned  into 
a  sitting-room.  If  the  weather  was  cold,  the  door  into  the  bed- 
room was  open  ;  the  whole  house  was  warm  and  comfortable. 
Wood  was  plenty  and  cheap. 

This  woman's  troubles  began  when  her  husband,  by  dint  of 
hard  work  and  close  economy,  found  himself  in  a  position  to 
gratify  his  pride  in  his  accumulated  wealth  by  building  a  new 
house.  It  was  a  big  white  house  with  green  blinds.  The  stories 
were  twelve  or  thirteen  feet  high  ;  a  large  hall  ran  through  the 
centre ;  the  kitchen  had  nothing  in  it  but  doors  and  windows 
and  a  stove-hole  ;  there  was  no  sink,  no  conveniences  of  any 
kind.  They  now  had  a  separate  dining  and  sitting  room,  and 
an  awful  parlor  with  brussels  carpet  on  it,  which  had  red  and 
green  flowers  all  over  it.  The  bedrooms  were  upstairs.  They 
were  all  large ;  wood-work  painted  white.  In  the  winter  they 
were  cold.  The  old  habits  of  economy  which  made  this  house 
possible  had  so  fixed  themselves  upon  the  occupants  that  they 


THE  ARCHITECT  AND    THE   HOUSEWIFE.  23 

would  not  build  a  fire  in  the  bedrooms.  They  said  that 
they  "  didn't  think  it  healthy  to  sleep  in  a  warm  room." 

People  go  to  see  Mrs.  Green  in  her  new  house.  They  go 
through  and  look  at  it,  and  say,  "  Oh,  how  nice."  But  they  find 
a  tired  woman.  She  doesn't  sit  down  to  sew  or  knit  in  a  few 
minutes  after  the  meal  is  over,  as  she  used  to.  She  is  at  work 
all  the  time.  The  children  must  have  clothes  to  fit  the  house. 
There  is  more  sweeping  and  dusting  to  do  ;  there  are  more 
dishes  to  wash  ;  there  is  more  of  everything  to  do.  Still,  she 
came  into  the  new  house  expecting  to  find  things  different  and 
easier  than  they  were  bsfore. 

The  modern  conveniences  are  those  arrangements  and  appli- 
ances which  make  it  possible  for  people  to  live  comfortably  in  a 
larger  house,  without  seriously  increasing  the  cares  which  they 
had  in  a  smaller  one.  In  the  old  house  of  two  or  three  rooms 
the  mother  would  bathe  the  children  once  a  week  in  a  tub  by  the 
kitchen  fire.  The  tub  would  be  dragged  out  the  door,  which 
was  not  very  high  above  the  ground,  and  the  water  emptied  into 
the  yard.  In  the  new  house  it  is  different.  The  water  is 
carried  from  the  pump  in  the  back  yard,  and  from  the  kitchen 
stove,  upstairs  into  one  of  the  rooms.  Then  it  has  to  be  car- 
ried down  again,  emptied  into  the  alley  or  the  yard.  The  living 
habits  are  all  changed  without  the  compensating  conveniences 
which  naturally  belong  to  them.  It  is  probable  that  Mrs.  Green 
keeps  a  "  girl,"  but  even  then  she  has  infinitely  more  work  to 
do  than  ever  belonged  to  the  old  home.  She  cannot  under- 
stand  it.  She  has  a  new  house  and  a  girl,  and  yet  she  is 
always  tired. 

Most  of  the  houses  in  the  newer  cities  and  towns  are,  in  a 
measure,  similar  to  this.  Nearly  every  one  attempts  to  live  up 
to  the  mark  set  by  those  who  have  all  of  the  appliances  of  mod- 


24  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

ern  housekeeping.  Coal  and  water  have  to  be  carried  all  over 
the  house.  Slops  and  ashes  have  to  be  carried  downstairs  and 
out  of  the  building. 

By  attracting  attention  to  the  inconveniences  of  housekeep- 
ing, we  may  see  and  understand  the  full  meaning  of  the  term 
"  modern  conveniences."  There  is  a  natural  call  for  dish-washing 
arrangements  to  take  the  place  of  the  square  table,  with  the  dish- 
pan,  the  tea-kettle,  and  the  water-bucket.  In  its  place,  we  have 
at  one  side  of  the  kitchen,  a  sink,  with  cocks  for  hot  and  cold 
water  immediately  over  it.  The  tables  and  drain-board  are 
arranged  to  simplify  the  operations  of  dish-washing.  The  water, 
instead  of  being  carried  to  the  yard  or  alley,  finds  its  way 
naturally  into  the  drain  through  the  sink.  Modern  laundry 
arrangements  make  it  unnecessary  to  carry  great  tubs  of  water 
outside,  or  to  delay  wash-day  on  account  of  the  weather,  or  to 
bring  in  the  frozen  clothes  during  the  cold  winter  days.  The 
bath-room,  with  the  tub,  the  water-closet,  and  the  wash-stand, 
is  on  the  second  floor.  This  saves  a  great  deal  of  work.  The 
water  does  not  have  to  be  carried  upstairs  nor  the  slops  down. 
There  is  hot  and  cold  water  within  easy  reach  of  all  the  rooms. 
Often  it  happens  that  there  are  stationary  wash-stands  in  the 
various  bedrooms,  though  this  is  only  usual  in  the  most  expen- 
sive houses. 

The  amount  of  work  which  a  furnace  saves  is  not  readily 
estimated.  It  also  saves  money.  Others  of  the  modern  con- 
veniences are  "  places  to  put  things  ;  "  large  closets  in  the  bed- 
rooms, well  supplied  with  drawers,  shelves,  and  hooks ;  a 
general  closet  on  the  upper  floor,  which  is  accessible  from  all  of 
the  rooms,  for  bedding  and  other  articles  of  common  use;  a  ven- 
tilated closet  in  the  bath-room,  in  which  soiled  linen  may  be  put 
without  contaminating    the    atmosphere.      There    should    be    a 


THE   ARCHITECT  AND    THE   HOUSEWIFE.  25 

closet  or  place  on  the  second  floor  for  brooms,  dust-pans,  and 
dusters.  Where  there  is  no  particular  place  for  these  articles, 
the  housekeeper  or  the  servant  has  to  use  time  in  searching,  or 
in  going  up  and  down  stairs.  Anything  which  saves  labor  may 
be  regarded  as  a  modern  convenience. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

MODERN    ARCHITECTS    AND  THE  HOUSEKEEPER. MISPLACED   HOUSES. 

OLD     COLONIAL     POVERTY     IN     MODERN     COLONIAL     HOUSES. 

AFFECTATION    IN    DESIGN. NATURAL    DEVELOPMENT   OF  AMERICAN 

ARCHITECTURE. AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE  AND  AMERICAN  HOMES. 

NO  one  ever  heard  of  the  matter  of  house-planning  being 
discussed  in  a  convention  of  architects.  Their  reports  will 
show  that  a  great  many  subjects  are  handled,  but  none  so  near 
home  as  this.  Sometimes  there  is  an  effort  to  discover  that 
America  has  a  style  of  architecture  peculiar  to  itself.  When  such 
a  thing  becomes  true,  the  effort  to  find  it  will  not  be  necessary. 
An  American  architecture  will  have  its  growth  in  American 
necessities,  and  not  through  the  blind  copying  of  foreign  styles 
and  architecture.  Nor  to  have  an  American  style  does  it  neces- 
sarily mean  that  we  should  ignore  foreign  precedent.  It  means 
that  we  should  consider  foreign  architecture  intelligently.  Every- 
thing that  is  good  should  be  adopted,  no  matter  whence  it 
comes.  Those  of  us  who  see  what  is  going  on  in  the  architect- 
ural world  frequently  notice  English  houses  designed  and  built 
for  those  who  live  in  the  cold  Northwest.  In  many  of  them  the 
broad,  English  casement  windows  and  general  style  of  architect- 
ure, which  is  suited  to  the  gloomy  light  and  the  mild  temperature 
of  Great  Britain,  is  placed  in  the  bright,  cold  climate  of  the 
Northwest.  Nothing  could  be  more  out  of  place  ;  it  is  an  affec- 
tation, an  exhibition  of  bad  taste  and  poor  sense.  The  cold 
Northwest,  with  its  bright,  clear  atmosphere,  presents  its  own 
architectural  conditions.  The  work  of  blind  copyists,  those  who 
have  so  strong  a  regard  for  precedent,  is  ridiculous.     In  one  of 

26 


THE  ARCHITECT  AND    THE   HOUSEWIFE.  2J 

the  Eastern  magazines  there  was  an  illustration  showing  what 
purported  to  be  an  old  colonial  cottage,  situated  possibly  at 
Newport.  The  architect  had  copied  the  old  colonial  details,  the 
old  colonial  forms,  which  were  very  nice,  but  he  had  also  copied 
an  idea  which  had  its  outgrowth  in  extreme  poverty.  He  had 
placed  a  rain  barrel  at  the  side  of  the  house,  and  had  set  it  up 
on  a  rustic-looking  bench  or  support,  all  of  which  was  very 
ridiculous.  This  had  been  done  in  an  old  colonial  house,  and 
had  its  origin  in  old  colonial  poverty.  Now,  this  architect,  in  his 
respect  for  that  which  was  past,  copied  the  faults,  the  inconven- 
iences, and  arrangements  which  belonged  to  those  earlier  times. 
A  course  of  this  kind,  carried  out  to  its  fullest  extent,  would  lead 
us  to  barbarism.  In  the  same  magazine  was  another  house 
which  was  designed  with  great  respect  for  precedent.  In  it  was 
a  front  door  which  was  divided  about  half-way  up,  so  that  the 
lower  part  might  be  shut  and  the  upper  part  opened.  Houses 
have  been  seen  where  something  of  this  kind  was  reasonable, 
where  it  had  its  advantages.  There  are  many  places  in  this 
country  where  a  door  of  this  kind  is  almost  a  necessity ;  but  it 
isn't  on  the  seashore.  If  one  has  a  house  in  the  country,  or  in  a 
small  country  town,  where  the  horses  and  pigs,  geese,  chickens, 
and  other  animals,  are  allowed  to  roam  about  in  the  front  yards, 
a  door  of  this  kind  has  its  uses.  In  the  summer  time  the  upper 
part  can  be  thrown  back  and  the  lower  part  closed,  so  that  the 
most  a  horse  can  do  in  the  way  of  getting  into  the  house  is 
to  stick  his  head  over  the  top  rail  and  look  in.  In  the  coun- 
try mills  doors  of  this  kind  have  a  very  proper  and  apt  name  ; 
they  are  called  pig-doors.  They  keep  the  pigs  off  the  mill  floor, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  allow  the  light  and  air  to  come  from 
above.  But  there  is  no  necessity  for  a  pig-door  at  Newport  or 
Long  Branch,  or  other  seaside  resort.     Their  use  is  a  silly  affec- 


28  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

tation.  There  is  no  beauty  in  them.  There  is  no  convenience 
which  would  lead  to  their  use. 

It  is  performances  such  as  the  above  which  retard  the  natural 
development  of  American  architecture.  American  architecture 
will  be  simply  carrying  out,  in  an  architectural  way,  the  require- 
ments of  the  American  people  in  their  buildings.  From  their 
homes  the  march  of  progress  will  be  through  the  kitchens, 
pantries,  and  dining-rooms.  It  will  unite  with  the  parlor  and 
sitting-room  ideas,  which  have  been  more  clearly  worked  out. 
The  exterior  will  be  formed  in  a  natural  way  by  the  requirements 
of  the  interior,  and  by  the  variations  of  climate,  and  it  will  be 
decorated  in  a  rational,  artistic  manner.  We  will  not  hamper 
the  interior  by  the  adoption  of  doors  and  windows  which  possi- 
bly belonged  in  a  cathedral  of  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century, 
or  the  richer  details  of  the  later  time,  which  had  their  special 
uses  and  forms  as  the  development  of  the  necessity  and  require- 
ments of  that  particular  period.  The  doors  and  windows  of 
the  nineteenth  century  should  have  their  own  special  forms  and 
positions.  They  should  be  decorated  with  a  true  regard  for 
precedent  so  long  as  precedent  does  not  influence  the  arrange- 
ments suited  to  modern  times.  The  American  style  of  archi- 
tecture will  not  be  developed  through  grand  public  buildings 
and  enormous  cathedrals,  or  expensive  dwellings. 

In  this  country  every  one  is  imbued  with  the  idea  of  having 
a  home  of  his  own,  and  he  desires  to  have  it  nice,  convenient, 
and  attractive.  The  average  home  is  in  a  small,  inexpensive 
house.  The  proper  construction  of  these  buildings,  their  ar- 
rangement with  reference  to  their  housekeeping  requirements, 
their  tasteful  external  designs  considered  in  a  rational  way,  will 
develop  American  architecture.  It  will  be  the  expression  of 
American  wants  in  a  natural,  artistic  spirit. 


A   JOURNEY    THROUGH    THE    HOUSE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

JOURNEY     THROUGH     THE     HOUSE.  PORCH.  VESTIBULE.  HALL. 

LONG     HALLS     AND     SQUARE     HALLS. THE     HALL     THAT     IS     A 

ROOM. RECEPTION    HALL. PARLOR. SITTING-ROOM. DINING- 
ROOM. 

IN  this  section  of  the  book  we  will  make  a  journey  through  the 
house,  stopping  at  various  points  of  interest  long  enough 
to  give  general  consideration  to  the  details.  From  the  principles 
herein  derived,  the  plans  subsequently  given  are  constructed. 

Every  house  should  have  a  front  porch.  It  should  be  wide, 
—  if  possible,  eight  feet,  that  one  may  sit  at  a  distance  from  the 
railing  and  afford  a  space  for  others  to  pass  behind.  The  porch 
is  a  protection  to  the  front  part  of  the  house  from  the  sun,  wind, 
and,  partially,  from  the  cold.  Nothing  can  be  pleasanter  than 
to  sit  on  a  shady  porch  during  the  warm  part  of  the  day  or  in 
the  evening.     It  is  an  auxiliary  to  the  vestibule. 

The  front  door  should  be  wide  —  three  or  three  and  a  half 
feet.  Double  doors  look  very  nice  from  the  outside,  but  they 
are  not  as  convenient  or  as  easily  handled  as  the  single  door. 
The  door-bell  should  be  at  the  right-hand  side.  The  threshold 
should  be  elevated  from  three  to  six  and  a  half  inches  above  the 
porch  floor. 

VESTIBULE. 

In  the  plans  that  are  given,  various  arrangements  of  vesti- 
bules are  shown.  In  a  few  instances,  direct  entrances  into  the 
hall  and  reception-room  are  indicated,  but  such  an  entrance  is 


32  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

not  as  desirable  as  where  there  is  a  vestibule.     The  arrange- 
ment of  a  vestibule  for  hat-rack,  umbrella-stand,  and  other  con- 
veniences, changes  the  hall  into  an  available  room.     Take,  for 
instance,  plan  No.  16,  page  153.   At  the  right,  as  one  enters,  is 
a   little  closet ;    in  it  are  hooks.     At  one  side  is  an  umbrella- 
stand  ;    on  the  floor  is  a  place  for  overshoes.     Here  one  may 
arrange   himself  before  going  into  the  hall  or  reception-room. 
This  is  altogether  better  than  having  to  pass  across  to  one  side 
of  the  hall  or  room,  in  order  to   find  a  place  to   deposit  over- 
shoes, wraps,  umbrellas,  etc.     It  saves  work.     If  this  vestibule 
have  a  hard-wood  floor,  and  on  it  is  placed  a  rug,  one  may 
stand  there  and  divest  himself  of  that  which  he  would  not  carry 
into  the  house,  and  go  into  the  room  in  good  order,  leaving  the 
muddy  overshoes,  and  the  possible  dampness  of  his   umbrella 
and  overcoat,  behind  him.     This  arrangement  saves  work  ;  mud 
is   not  carried   into   the   room.     It  is  a  very  simple  matter  to 
care  for  the  vestibule ;   the  rug  on  the  floor  may  be  taken  to 
the  outside,  and  the  deposit  of  mud  and  dust   readily  removed. 
It  is  well  to  have  a  small  mirror  at  the  side,  or  in  the  rack. 
The  plan  mentioned  is  merely  suggestive,  and  does  not  apply 
to   all   houses.     By  looking  through   the   plans  given,  various 
arrangements    may  be    seen.      In    some  of  them    there    is    no 
vestibule.     Not  all  housekeepers  want  the  same  arrangement. 
Again,  others  do  not  care  to  pay  for  a  vestibule.     In  other  in- 
stances, the  hall  is  too  small  to  admit  of  one.     As  said  before, 
a   good  vestibule    changes   the  hall  into  a  room.     It  makes  a 
reception-hall  tolerable,  because  it  is  not  necessary  to  deposit 
there  many  things  which  should  have  another  location.     A  ves- 
tibule does  not  properly  serve  its  purpose  where  there  is  no 
room  or  arrangement  for  depositing  wraps,  etc.     The  closet  part 
of  the  vestibule,  shown  in  the  cut,  can,  perhaps,  be  omitted,  and 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  33 

hooks  arranged  around  the  wall  sides.  A  curtain  could  be  hung 
across  the  space  occupied  by  the  closet  door :  however,  all  these 
details  are  matters  of  taste  and  disposition.  In  the  opening 
between  the  hall  and  vestibule  may  be  placed  tapestry  curtains ; 
these  are  sufficient  storm  protectors  from  the  outside  door, 
especially  if  the  hall  register  is  placed  near  it.  No  one  who 
has  not  tried  it,  can  realize  the  amount  of  protection  from  the 
weather  that  is  afforded  by  a  heavy  curtain.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary or  desirable  that  a  door  be  placed  in  the  opening  from  the 
vestibule  to  the  hall. 

HALL. 

This  part  of  the  house  may  be  hall,  reception-hall,  or  room. 
It  is  a  hall  or  passage  frequently,  and  not  provided  with  a  vesti- 
bule. It  may  be  a  hall  from  its  shape  ;  it  may  be  a  room  for  the 
same  reason.  It  may  be  of  no  use  as  a  room,  if  the  stairway  is 
improperly  placed.  The  house  arranged  with  a  long,  narrow 
hall,  having  the  stairway  at  the  side,  is  essentially  wasteful  of 
room.  Such  hall  space  is  usually  dark  and  gloomy  as  well  as 
crowded.  A  hall  eight  feet  wide  and  twenty  feet  long,  contains 
one  hundred  and  sixty  square  feet  of  floor-surface,  though  only 
a  limited  portion  of  it  is  available,  on  account  of  the  shape  of 
the  space  which  remains  after  the  stairway  is  placed.  A  hall 
twelve  by  thirteen  feet  contains  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  square 
feet,  but  a  great  deal  more  available  room.  The  space  not  occu- 
pied by  the  stairway  is  in  better  shape.  A  hall  of  this  shape 
partakes  of  the  nature  of  a  room,  and  may  be  used  as  such.  In 
the  plan  referred  to  a  window-seat  is  shown.  This  window-seat 
may  be  used  as  a  seat  in  warm  weather,  and,  if  the  front  is  in 
the  proper  direction,  as  a  conservatory  in  the  winter.  There  are 
many  such  arrangements  as  this  shown  in  the  book. 


34  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

The  hall,  in  most  of  the  plans,  is  a  key  to  the  whole  arrange- 
ment. It  has  been  a  common,  objectionable  practice  during  the 
past  few  years  to  build  houses  of  moderate  cost,  so  that  the  hall  is 
along  one  side  with  its  entrance  to  the  front,  and  the  parlor  next 
to  it ;  back  of  the  parlor  is  the  sitting-room,  and  the  hall  opens 
into  the  dining-room  ;  back  of  the  dining-room  is  the  kitchen, 
and  so  on  to  the  extreme  rear  with  summer-kitchen,  pantry,  etc. 
This  makes  a  long  house  with  only  one  room  in  front  on  the 
first  floor,  and  one  chamber  and  alcove  facing  the  street  on  the 
second.  Thus  the  hall  serves  only  as  a  passage-way.  The  living- 
room  has  no  front  view.  To  obviate  this,  the  halls  in  the  plans, 
that  are  considered  with  most  favor,  are  arranged  to  be  used  as 
rooms,  and  the  vestibules  are  built  so  that  such  a  thing  is  possi- 
ble. If  the  hall  is  to  be  used  as  a  vestibule,  the  hat-rack  and 
other  arrangements  for  hanging  wraps,  and  the  umbrella-stand, 
etc.,  are  placed  as  near  the  front  as  possible.  Where  this  is  not 
done  there  must  necessarily  be  a  track  from  the  front  to  the 
back,  as  a  mark  of  travel. 

The  stairway  may  start  at  one  side,  and  should  lead  towards 
the  centre  of  the  house.  The  nearer  it  can  be  started  to  the 
rear  of  the  hall,  the  better ;  this  gives  more  room  in  front. 
Sometimes  the  stairway  is  started  immediately  in  the  rear  of  the 
reception-hall,  or  from  an  alcove  space  at  one  side;  these  are 
good  arrangements,  depending,  of  course,  upon  other  conditions. 
Upon  one  side,  or  in  the  rear,  should  be  placed  a  grate.  Noth- 
ing can  be  pleasanter  when  coming  in  from  a  disagreeable  out- 
side than  an  open-grate  fire  ;  this  needs  no  argument.  Under 
the  stairway,  or  in  some  convenient  nook,  it  is  well  to  have  a 
lavatory.  The  hall  should  be  arranged  as  a  centre  from  which 
to  pass  to  the  parlor,  living-room,  and  dining-room.  It  is  im- 
portant to  consider  in  this  connection  that  the  hall,  and  the  stair- 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  35 

way  in  it,  should  be  placed  so  that  the  stair-landing  above  is  in 
the  centre  of  the  house.  Thus  we  have  in  the  centre  of  the 
building  only  a  small  hall  as  a  starting-point ;  hence  less  waste 
room.  When  the  stairway  lands  near  the  front  wall  on  the 
second  floor,  a  passage  must  be  provided  to  the  rear  of  the 
house.  Where  the  landing  is  in  the  centre,  we  have  only  to 
pass  into  rooms  without  extra  steps  through  long  halls.  For 
example,  see  plan  No.  1,  page'no. 

Not  every  one  cares  to  use  the  front  hall  as  a  reception- 
room.  There  is  certainly  no  objection  to  naming  and  using  it 
otherwise. 

RECEPTION-HALL,    PARLOR,    AND   SITTING-ROOM. 

During  recent  years  there  is  more  of  a  disposition  to  live  all 
over  the  house ;  one  reason  for  this  is  the  improved  heating 
arrangements.  The  terms  sitting-room,  parlor,  reception-room, 
mean  less  in  a  distinctive  sense,  and  are  used  largely  for  the 
purpose  of  classification.  We  will  consider  the  parlor  and  the 
sitting-room  in  the  same  connection.  The  parlor  has  lost  the 
awful  stiffness  of  times  past.     It  is  now  a  reception-room. 

In  a  house  where  there  is  a  reception-hall  in  front,  and 
the  sitting-room  to  one  side,  both  having  a  distinct  front  view, 
as  is  shown  in  many  of  the  plans,  a  lady  may  occupy  the  front 
room  and  have  her  children  and  work  around  her,  if  desirable. 
A  caller  may  be  received  in  the  reception-room  ;  these,  however, 
are  matters  of  individual  preference.  The  vestibule  may  be 
planned  so  that  it  will  have  an  entrance  to  both  reception-room 
and  sitting-room. 

In  some  instances  the  arrangement  of  sitting-room  and 
reception-hall  are  reversed.  The  hall  is  the  sitting-room,  and 
the    other  room   the   parlor.     If  doors   are   used  between  hall 


36  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

and  sitting-room,  they  should  be  sliding  ;  the  effect  is  better,  and 
the  separation  of  the  rooms  as  complete  as  necessary.  Such 
doors  should  always  be  hung  from  the  top.  The  sitting-room 
should  certainly  be  as  good  a  room  as  any  in  the  house ;  as  well 
located.  There  should  be  a  closet  on  the  first  floor,  and,  if 
possible,  it  should  communicate  with  this  room ;  if  not  that, 
with  the  dining-room  or  reception-hall  next  to  it.  Certainly  the 
sitting-room  should  always  be  provided  with  a  grate. 

A  window-seat  in  the  hall,  parlor,  reception,  or  other  room, 
is  really  a  great  addition  in  more  ways  than  one.  It  is  not  only 
attractive,  but  it  adds  to  the  availability  of  a  room.  Where  there 
is  space  for  three  or  four  people  to  sit,  in  case  of  necessity,  it 
is  like  seating  that  number  of  people  outside  of  the  room. 
They  are  comfortable,  and  the  room  has  that  much  added  to  its 
seating  capacity.  A  bay  window  arranged  in  this  way  is  pleasant 
indeed. 

Wall  space  is  of  great  importance  in  these  rooms.  In  plan- 
ning a  house,  the  piano,  pictures,  lounges,  book-shelves,  book- 
cases, bric-a-brac,  etc.,  should  be  in  mind.  In  a  house  of  mod- 
erate size,  it  is,  ordinarily,  not  necessary  that  the  reception-hall, 
parlor,  or  sitting-room  should  be  wider  than  thirteen  and  a  half 
feet,  and  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  in  length.  However,  this 
is  not  wide  enough  for  those  who  entertain  largely.  A  room 
thirteen  and  a  half  feet,  with  much  furniture  in  it,  is  not  wide 
enough  for  dancing. 

A  house  arranged  with  a  reception-hall,  parlor,  sitting-room, 
dining-room,  etc.,  is  used  when  it  is  desired  to  entertain  a  great 
deal  ;  but  for  those  who  are  living  economically,  whose  means 
are  limited,  one  of  these  rooms  may  be  omitted.  In  many  of  the 
modern  houses  the  number  of  rooms  on  the  first  floor  has  been 
decreased    and    their    size    increased.      Oftentimes    there    is    a 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  ^1 

reception-hall,  a  small  library,  and  a  dining-room  only,  as 
belonging  to  the  living  part  of  the  house  on  the  first  floor. 
An  arrangement  of  this  kind  belongs  more  particularly  to  a 
house  which  is  occupied  during  only  a  part  of  the  year ;  say  as 
summer  cottages  in  the  Northland  winter  houses  in  the  South. 
Modern  ways  of  living  make  a  larger  number  of  rooms  less 
desirable. 

When  it  is  possible,  it  is  pleasant  to  have  a  little  room  off 
from  the  library  as  a  study,  or  for  a  doctor  as  a  reception-room 
or  office.  Where  one  does  work  at  home,  it  is  advantageous 
to  have  a  private  room  that  insures  isolation,  be  it  never  so 
small.  Often  the  library,  so  called  in  an  ordinary  sense,  is  not 
a  library  at  all.  There  may  be  a  few  books  in  it,  but  it  is  used 
as  a  sitting-room  or  passage,  and  has  no  distinct  necessity  or 
use. 

Additional  rooms  require  more  work  than  the  same  amount 
of  floor  space  in  a  less  number  of  rooms.  The  addition  of 
rooms  multiplies  corners,  windows,  doors,  etc.,  and  adds  more 
cost  and  labor,  than  does  mere  additional  space.  The  availa- 
bility of  a  room  is  not  always  dependent  upon  its  size.  A  good 
deal  depends  upon  the  arrangement  of  wall  space.  A  room  may 
be  laree  and  still  have  no  room  for  the  furniture  that  is  to  q-o 
into  it.     It  may  be  small  and  still  have  room  enough. 

DINING-ROOM. 

A  good  width  for  a  dining-room  is  thirteen  feet.  Where 
one  can  afford  it,  it  should  be  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in 
length  ;  larger  than  this  is  a  luxury.  Its  location,  for  the  most 
part,  is  back  of  the  sitting-room  or  hall.  A  grate  in  the  dining- 
room  is  not  altogether  desirable  ;  it  is  always  at  somebody's 
back.     Again,  a  grate  does  not  heat  a  room  uniformly.     It  is 


38  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

very  common  to  provide  sliding-doors  to  connect  the  dining- 
room  with  other  parts  of  the  house,  even  with  the  parlor,  but 
they  are  not  the  best  kind  to  use.  Sound  and  the  odors  of  the 
food  are  more  readily  communicated  through  sliding-doors  than 
others.  For  that  reason  they  should  not  be  used.  A  large, 
single  door,  three  and  a  half  feet  wide,  is  preferable,  though  it 
does  not  always  give  the  desired  opening.  Generally  speaking, 
it  is  easier  to  provide  wall  space  when  planning  a  dining-room 
than  in  any  of  the  other  rooms  in  the  house.  A  large  number 
of  windows  is  not  necessary,  and  one  of  them  can  be  placed 
high,  and  thus  afford  space  for  a  sideboard.  This  sideboard 
should  be  placed  at  the  end  of  the  room  nearest  the  entrance  to 
the  kitchen  and  china-closet,  where  such  is  used.  The  sideboard 
has  various  uses,  according  to  the  plans  of  the  housekeeper.  In 
some  cases  it  is  merely  a  place  to  display  dainty  china  and  other 
table  furniture.  Below  are  places  for  linen  and  table  cutlery. 
In  other  cases,  the  sideboard  is  used  as  a  buffet;  as  a  place 
from  which  to  serve  the  food.  Sometimes  this  is  carried  to  the 
extremest  degree,  and  includes  the  carving,  and  the  serving  of 
that  which  goes  with  the  meats. 

It  was  very  common  in  times  past  to  use  a  slide  connecting 
kitchen  and  dining-room.  A  passage  is  much  better.  The 
slide  is  worse  than  a  door  in  communicating  sounds  and  odors. 
In  some  of  the  plans  in  this  book,  doors  are  shown  opening 
directly  into  the  kitchen.  This  is  done  under  protest ;  the 
owner  of  the  house  would  have  it  so.  The  sideboard  may  be 
built  as  a  part  of  the  house.  This  is  well  enough  when  the 
question  of  cost  is  not  important. 

From  the  dining-room  we  will  pass  to  the  kitchen. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

KITCHENS. THE     KITCHEN    A    WORKSHOP.  WORK    TO    BE    DONE   IN 

A  KITCHEN.  A  PLAN. FITTINGS. DISH-WASHING  CONVEN- 
IENCES.   SINK        AND       TABLES.  CHINA-CLOSET.  PANTRY. 

COMBINATION    PANTRY. PANTRY    FITTINGS. WORK   IN  A  PANTRY. 

A  DOUGH-BOARD. FLOUR-BIN. PANTRY  STORES. CUPBOARD. 

REFRIGERATOR  ARRANGEMENTS. PANTRY  UTENSILS. A  DRY- 
BOX.  SOAP-BOX. VENTILATION  OF  KITCHEN. GENERAL  PRIN- 
CIPLES   OF    KITCHEN    PLANNING. 

THE  kitchen  existed  in  its  state  of  greatest  cleanliness  and 
order  a  good  many  years  ago  in  New  England,  where  it 
was  largely  used  as  a  sitting  and  dining  room.  As  people  became 
more  prosperous,  they  moved  out  of  the  kitchen  ;  they  had  a 
separate  sitting-room.  It  was  then  that  the  kitchen  began  to 
decline.  After  this  it  was  often  literally  as  well  as  figuratively 
separated  from  the  living  part  of  the  house. 

The  public  has  not  suffered  through  lack  of  information  on 
cookery  and  general  housekeeping  topics.  Little  has  been  said, 
however,  about  the  house  itself,  with  regard  to  its  arrangements 
for  facilitating  the  manifold  operations  of  housekeeping.  The 
subject  is  a  broad  one,  and  may  be  treated  with  some  respect  to 
detail.  As  the  heart  of  the  house,  the  kitchen  may  be  given 
serious  consideration. 

In  the  modern  house  the  kitchen  is  merely  the  place  where 
the  food  is  prepared  for  the  table.  The  controlling  idea  and  its 
arrangements  should  be  to  afford  facilities  for  doing  the  work 
with  as  little  labor  as  possible. 

39 


40  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

The  kitchen  is  the  workshop  of  the  house.  It  should  be 
arranged  and  planned  according  to  the  same  general  principles 
as  any  other  workshop.  A  manufacturer  arranges  his  foundry, 
his  mill,  or  his  printing-house,  with  reference  to  the  saving  of 
labor,  for  the  purpose  of  saving  money.  When  we  save  labor 
in  a  kitchen,  we  save  the  energy  of  the  housekeeper,  and, 
possibly,  money. 

An  article  on  this  subject  was  probably  never  written  that 
did  not  pretend  to  describe  the  "  model  kitchen."  It  is  safe  to 
say  that  no  such  kitchen  was  regarded  as  "  model''  by  all  read- 
ers. A  model  kitchen  is  something  which  is  out  of  reason.  No 
two  housekeepers  have  the  same  requirements.  Housekeeping 
practice  varies  greatly.  Again,  the  kitchen  that  can  be  built  to 
one  floor-plan  cannot  be  built  to  another.  In  describing  a 
kitchen,  it  is  in  mind  to  set  forth  certain  general  principles  for 
the  benefit  of  those  interested. 

There  is  little  difference  between  the  requirements  of  a 
kitchen  for  a  house  of  moderate  cost  and  an  expensive  house. 
Work  of  the  same  general  character  is  done  in  every  kitchen. 
The  conveniences  are  more  a  matter  of  thought  than  of  money. 
Elaborate  details  add  much  to  the  cost,  but  little  to  the  conven- 
ience. There  is  little  or  no  difference  between  the  cost  of  a 
well-planned  kitchen  and  one  which  is  poorly  planned. 

To  state  the  case  broadly,  a  kitchen  should  be  arranged 
solely  with  reference  to  the  work  which  is  to  be  done  in  it:  the 
cooking,  dish-washing,  the  care  of  the  kitchen  itself,  and  possibly 
the  laundry  work.  This  latter  work  should  be  removed  from 
the  kitchen  —  in  any  event,  the  washing  should  be  done  else- 
where—  when  it  is  at  all  possible.  The  steam  and  odor  from 
the  washing,  which  not  only  fill  the  kitchen  but  permeate  the 
house,  are  enough  to  render  whatever  food  there  is  in  the  kitchen 


A  JOURXEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE. 


41 


unfit  for  use.  It  is  altogether  possible  to  arrange  in  the  cellar 
of  any  house  that  is  being  built,  and  in  many  that  are  already 
built,  at  a  trifling  cost,  a  laundry  in  which  the  washing  and  iron- 
ing may  be  comfortably  done.  Of  course  this  does  not  contem- 
plate set  tubs;  but  set  tubs  are  not  found  in  houses  where  the 
washing  and  ironing  are  done  in  the  kitchen,  and  it  is  possible 


to  do  this  work  both  well  and  easily  without  their  use.  There 
is  little  or  no  objection  to  doing  the  ironing  in  a  well-ventilated 
kitchen.  It  is  clean  work,  and  while  doing  it  the  servant  may 
attend  to  any  cooking  which  is  necessary,  and  see  that  the  other 
work  of  the  house  moves  forward. 

The  kitchen  the  plan  of  which  is  here  given  (Fig.  2)  has 
been  in  use  for  three  years  under  the  varying  conditions  of  one 
or  two  sen-ants,  and  at  times  none  at  all.     These  are  the  condi- 


42  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

tions  under  which  most  housekeepers  operate.  There  have 
been  no  emergencies  in  which  the  kitchen  and  pantries  have  not 
proven  themselves  ample,  and  none  in  which  the  housekeeper 
thought  that  they  were  too  large  and  complicated.  It  is  as 
necessary  in  houses  where  the  means  for  maintenance  is  simply 
moderate,  that  a  kitchen  should  not  be  too  large  as  that  it 
should  afford  ample  facilities  for  accomplishing  any  work  which 
may  be  done. 

The  kitchen  itself  is  thirteen  and  one-half  by  fourteen  and 
one-half  feet.  In  it  are  placed  the  range,  tables,  sink,  drain- 
board,  etc.,  and  the  kitchen  safe.  The  room  has  been  found 
large  enough  for  the  work  which  is  to  be  done  there,  and  not  so 
large  that  the  tables,  range,  and  safe  are  so  far  apart  that  time 
and  strength  are  wasted  moving  from  one  to  another.  The 
kitchen  has  one  large  window  in  it,  which  is  three  feet  from  the 
floor.  This  permits  the  placing  of  a  table,  ironing-board,  or 
chair  under  it,  and  thus  gives  additional  wall  space.  There  are 
two  windows  in  the  pantry,  and  a  draught  is  secured  through 
them,  the  kitchen  window,  and  the  transom  over  the  door.  The 
door  is  glazed. 

The  most  disagreeable  work  of  a  kitchen,  and  that  which 
takes  much  time,  is  the  dish-washing.  It  is  possible  to  make 
this  work  lighter  and  pleasanter  than  is  usual.  The  necessary 
conditions  are  plenty  of  water,  hot  and  cold,  a  place  where  the 
dishes  will  drain  themselves,  an  abundance  of  table  room  for 
them  both  before  and  after  washing.  In  the  kitchen  given  the 
sink  is  placed  next  the  kitchen  flue.  This  gives  a  place  for 
the  pipe  duct  next  the  warm  bricks,  which  prevent  freezing 
even  in  severe  cold  weather.  During  the  three  years  in  which 
this  kitchen  has  been  in  use  they  have  never  frozen,  even  when 
the  temperature  was  twenty  degrees  below  zero.    The  exact  con- 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE. 


43 


struction  of  this  kitchen  pipe-duct  and  other  kitchen  wood-work 
is  given  elsewhere.  The  range,  which  is  usually  next  the  flue, 
is,  in  this  instance,  placed  at  some  distance  from  it.  There 
is  no  reason  why  this  should  not  be  done,  as  it  has  been  in 
many  instances,  with  no  disagreeable  results. 

The  sink  is  not  enclosed,  but  stands  upon  legs.     Enclosed 
sinks   are   places  which  cannot  be   kept  clean  even  with  the 


Rd.v3. 


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r. 


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utmost  vigilance.  The  brushes,  scrub-rags,  and  buckets,  which 
are  usually  kept  there,  are  in  this  kitchen  provided  a  place 
elsewhere. 

At  the  left  of  the  sink  is  a  table  ;  at  the  right,  a  drain-board, 
which  is  inclined  toward  the  sink,  and  provided  with  grooves. 
At  the  right  of  this  is  a  swing-table  on  the  same  level.  The 
soiled  dishes  are  placed  on  the  table  at  the  left,  washed  in  the 
sink,  which  is  provided  with  cocks  for  hot  and  cold  water, 
drained   on   the   drain-board,  and,  when  wiped,  placed   on  the 


44  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

table  at  the  right.  A  glance  at  the  plan  will  show  that  they  are 
then  beside  the  door  which  leads  to  the  china-closet,  and  may 
be  quickly  placed  where  they  belong. 

It  may  be  well  to  say  a  few  words  about  the  china-closet. 
The  shelves  are  placed  in  a  passage  which  leads  from  the 
kitchen  to  the  dining-room,  and  are  separated  from  the  passage 
by  doors.  This  passage  is  lighted  by  a  window,  and  has  two 
doors  leading  into  it  —  one  from  the  dining-room,  and  one  from 
the  kitchen  (Fig.  2).  These  doors  are  swung  on  double  swing- 
ing hinges,  so  that  they  may  be  opened  by  merely  pushing  against 
them,  and  will  then  swing  back  noiselessly  into  a  closed  position. 
One  may  pass  through  doors  of  this  kind  with  a  tray  full*  of 
dishes  without  touching  them  with  the  hand.  This  arrangement 
dispenses  with  the  necessity  for  a  slide,  and  also  does  away  with 
the  noises  and  odors  from  the  kitchen,  which  so  readily  find  their 
way  to  the  rest  of  the  house  where  a  slide  is  used.  However, 
if  a  slide  is  really  desired,  it  can  be  placed  over  either  the  table 
at  the  left  of  the  sink  or  over  the  swing-table  at  the  right,  and 
be  convenient  from  both  kitchen  and  dining-room. 

The  china-pantry  could  be  readily  enlarged  into  a  butler's 
pantry,  by  extending  it  across  the  end  of  the  dining-room,  and 
placing  the  end  window  of  this  room  on  one  side,  thus  bringing 
two  windows  on  the  same  wall.  There  is  a  movable  shelf  under 
one  of  the  permanent  shelves  in  this  china-closet,  which  can  be 
drawn  out  in  order  to  place  a  tray  of  dishes  on  it  while  they  are 
being  put  away,  and  which  can  be  pushed  out  of  the  way  when 
not  in  use.  This  shelf  is  also  of  service  as  a  place  upon  which 
to  arrange  the  different  dishes  needed  for  the  several  courses  of 
a  meal,  and  in  this  way  facilitates  the  table  service. 

In  Fig.  4,  the  combination  idea  is  carried  out  in  pantry  and 
china-closet.      The  pantry-cupboard  projects  into  the  room  in 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE. 


45 


a  way  to  form  a  partition  between  the  pantry  and  china-closet, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  admits  of  a  passage  between  the  kitchen 
and  dining-room  with  a  separation  of  two  doors. 

Fig.  5  indicates  an  approved  form  of  construction  of  china- 
closet  and  pantry,  such  as  may  be  used  in  most  of  the  pantries 
and  china-rooms  which  are  in  this  book. 

The  work  which  takes  the  most  time  is  the  preparation  of  food, 


G WW 


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mk-(svr>. 


and  every  well-planned  kitchen  has  its  arrangements  for  light- 
ening this  burden.  The  first  consideration  is  the  location  of  the 
utensils,  and  the  table  and  sink  where  the  meats  and  vegetables 
are  prepared.  All  should  be  near  enough  to  the  range  so  that 
there  are  no  unnecessary  steps  to  be  taken.  The  number  that 
are  taken  where  the  sink  is  in  one  corner  of  the  kitchen,  the 
table  in  another,  and  the  range  removed  from  both,  is  innumer- 
able. In  this  kitchen  the  table  proper  and  the  sink  are  together, 
and  they  are  but  a  step  from  the  range. 

There  is  a  small  swing-table  attached  to  the  wall  at  one  side 


46 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


of  the  range.  This  provides  a  place  for  utensils,  such  as  spoons, 
and  forks,  and  dishes,  such  as  those  holding  pancake  batter, 
which  are  in  constant  use  during  cooking,  and  which  cannot  be 
held  in  the  hand  while  the  cooking  is  in  progress.  This  alone 
saves  many  steps.  The  drain-board  is  a  good  place  for  draining 
vegetables,  and  to  place  utensils  which  are  used  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  food.  Above  the  sink  are  hooks,  etc.,  upon  which  to 
keep   small   utensils.     In    localities   where   there   is   much  dust 


BMMIMI I 


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coming  in  from  the  outside  these  utensils  must  be  kept  else- 
where, behind  closed  doors. 

For  the  preparation  of  bread,  cake,  pastries,  etc.,  the  pantry 
is  provided.  In  it  are  places  for  everything  which  can  be  used 
for  such  preparation.  One  can  go  out  of  the  heat  and  noise  of 
the  kitchen  into  a  little  room  which  holds  everything  that  can 
possibly  be  needed,  and  there  prepare  those  articles  of  food 
which  take  the  most  time  and  careful  attention.  In  Fig.  2  are 
two  windows  ;  under  one  is  the  dough-board.     This  is  a  table 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  47 

fastened  to  the  wall  at  a  convenient  height  for  moulding  and 
general  work  of  this  character.  On  one  end  is  a  piece  of  marble, 
twelve  inches  wide  by  sixteen  long,  which  is  used  for  moulding 
purposes.  The  advantages  of  such  a  piece  of  marble  are  numer- 
ous. It  is  as  easily  cleaned  as  a  dish  and  requires  no  scouring, 
and,  as  dough  does  not  readily  stick  to  it,  moulding  can  be  done 
without  the  trouble  which  comes  from  the  use  of  a  board.  This 
piece  of  marble  is  not  fastened  to  the  dough-board,  as  is  some- 
times done.  Where  it  is  set  into  the  board  there  will  always 
be  creases  in  which  dough  will  lodge,  and  it  can  only  be  cleaned 
with  the  greatest  trouble.  Where  it  is  free,  it  can  be  raised 
from  the  board  occasionally,  and  everything  thoroughly  cleaned. 

At  the  right  of  the  board  is  the  flour-bin,  which  contains 
places  for  various  kinds  of  flour  and  meal.  Next  to  it  is  the 
refrigerator.  Over  the  refrigerator  is  a  window  which  opens 
on  the  porch,  and  through  which  the  ice  may  be  placed  without 
the  iceman  going  through  the  kitchen  with  his  wet  feet  and 
dripping  load. 

At  the  left  of  the  dough-board  are  shelves  for  keeping  stores. 
The  lower  shelves  are  enclosed  by  doors  and  provided  with  a 
lock,  so  that  extra  stores  may  be  placed  there  for  safe  keeping, 
where  this  is  found  desirable.  The  upper  shelves  are  exposed. 
On  them  are  kept  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  baking-powder,  and  kindred 
stores,  which  are  in  every-day  use,  and  can  be  reached  easier  if 
there  are  no  doors  to  be  opened  and  closed.  They  should  be 
kept  in  air-tight  cans,  which  prevent  their  exposure  to  dust,  in- 
sects, and  air.  Back  of  the  door  opening  into  the  kitchen  are 
hooks  for  the  utensils  which  more  properly  belong  in  the  pantry 
than  the  kitchen. 

Many  housekeepers  prefer  to  keep  the  refrigerator  in  the 
cellar,  on  account  of  the  waste  in  the  ice.      This  waste,  to  the 


48  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

mind  of  the  writer,  is  a  small  matter.  The  time  spent  by  either 
housekeeper  or  servant  in  going-  into  the  cellar  could  much 
better  be  occupied  in  doing  something  else  which  would  save 
more  than  does  keeping  the  refrigerator  below.  Then,  again, 
when  it  is  kept  in  the  pantry  it  can  readily  be  provided  with  a 
zinc  drain  to  the  outside,  which  saves  some  little  labor.  In  the 
cellar  such  a  drain  would  only  be  possible  where  sand  could  be 
reached.  A  refrigerator  should  never,  under  any  circumstances, 
be  drained  into  the  sewer,  as  is  sometimes  done. 

The  utensils  which  properly  belong  to  the  kitchen  are  kept 
in  an  old-fashioned  kitchen  safe,  rather  than  in  a  closet  opening 
out  from  the  kitchen.  A  safe  is  more  readily  cleaned  than  a 
closet,  and  the  perforated  metal  doors  render  the  upper  part  of 
it  an  excellent  place  for  storing  cold  food,  which  it  is  not  desir- 
able to  keep  in  the  refrigerator.  Then  if,  as  may  happen  in  any 
kitchen  which  is  left  to  the  care  of  servants,  vermin  should  take 
possession,  the  safe  can  be  moved  from  the  room,  and  trouble 
from  this  source  avoided. 

The  entrance  to  the  cellar  is  near  the  table,  as  marked.  At 
the  head  of  the  cellar  are  placed  brooms,  mops,  and  dust-pans, 
and  above  these,  well  away  from  the  head  when  going  below, 
is  a  shelf  upon  which  two  buckets  can  be  placed. 

Back  of  the  range  is  a  small  wooden  box,  thirty  inches  long 
by  twenty-two  inches  wide  and  twelve  inches  deep,  which  is 
provided  with  a  door  and  shelves.  These  shelves,  as  well  as  the 
top  and  bottom,  have  holes  bored  through  them  in  order  to 
allow  the  passage  of  hot  air.  In  this  box  scrubbing-rags  and 
brushes  dry  at  once,  and  never  have  a  bad  odor.  The  box  is 
of  the  same  wood  as  the  other  kitchen  finish,  and  looks  as  if  it 
were  a  part  of  it. 

A  soap-box,  with  construction  similar  to  the  above,  may  be 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  49 

provided.  It  should  have  a  tin-pipe  connection  with  flue  or 
other  ventilating  apparatus.  It  will  dry  the  soap  and  render 
its  use  less  wasteful. 

The  ventilation  of  the  kitchen  is  an  important  matter.  The 
ideal  kitchen  has  no  rooms  over  it,  and  has  ventilators  in  the 
ceiling.  But  this  is  not  possible  in  most  houses,  and  a  substi- 
tute must  be  provided.  An  inverted  sheet-iron  hopper  placed 
over-  the  range,  with  an  opening  into  either  the  flue  or  the  out- 
side of  the  house,  will  carry  out  the  odors  from  cooking.  An 
opening  into  the  pipe-duct  which  holds  the  plumbing  pipes  will 
keep  them  from  freezing  in  cold  weather  at  the  same  time  that 
it  helps  ventilate. 

An  important  consideration  in  a  kitchen  is  to  build  it  so  that 
it  will  not  readily  accumulate  dirt,  and  can  be  easily  cleaned.  A 
large  amount  of  time  is  spent  in  every  well-kept  house  in  clean- 
ing the  kitchen.  The  floor  should  be  of  oak,  maple,  or  other 
hard  wood,  oiled,  waxed,  or  finished  with  regular  floor-finishing. 
The  casings  and  doors  are,  of  course,  kept  in  better  condition, 
with  less  labor,  when  of  hard  wood.  Where  this  is  not  attain- 
able, poplar,  or  other  similar  wood,  finished  with  a  varnish  which 
will  stand  warm  water,  will  prove  a  very  good  substitute.  The 
tables  should  be  either  of  oak,  which  requires  little  scrubbing,  or 
poplar,  which  is  so  easily  scrubbed  that  it  is  always  white  enough 
to  delight  the  heart  of  the  most  particular  housekeeper.  A 
kitchen  finished  in  this  way  is  much  less  care  than  when  the- 
floor  is  of  soft  wood,  and  the  finish  a  soft  wood  painted. 

All  kitchens  in  this  book  are  planned  according  to  the  prin- 
ciples here  set  forth.  They  do  not  pretend  to  be  exactly  like 
this  one,  but  the  same  general  principle  runs  through  all. 

There  are  very  good  reasons  why  wainscoting  should  not  be 
used  in  a  kitchen,  and  no  compensating  advantages.    The  bead- 


50  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

joints  and  extra  wood-work  thereof  make  labor  in  the  impossible 
task  of  keeping  it  clean.  The  less  wood-work  there  is  in  a 
kitchen,  the  better.  There  are  various  kind  of  water-proof  pro- 
prietary plaster  finishes  which  may  be  used  in  finishing  the  walls 
and  ceiling  of  a  kitchen.  Where  they  are  not  used,  a  white 
skim  coat  should  be  put  on  and  painted  after  about  a  year's  use. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CELLAR. FUEL  DEPARTMENTS. FURNACE  CONVENIENCES. COAL- 
BINS. CEMENT  FLOORS. LIGHT  IN  THE  CELLAR. A  CELLAR- 
CLOSET.  OUTSIDE    CELLAR-DOOR. 

THE  cellar  was  originally  a  hole  in  the  ground.  In  the 
modern  house,  that  is  arranged  to  please  the  house- 
keeper, it  is  well  lighted  ;  provided  with  a  smooth  cement  floor 
that  is  easily  cleaned ;  is  not  open  as  one  room,  but  has 
apartments — one  for  a  laundry,  another  for  fuel  and  furnace, 
and  still  others  for  fruits  and  general  stores.  In  the  matter  of 
fuel  there  is  no  reason  why  the  entire  winter  supply  should  not 
be  in  the  basement.  It  is  certainly  a  great  deal  worse  to  go 
outside  of  the  house  in  winter  time  from  a  hot,  steaming  kitchen, 
than  it  is  to  eo  into  the  basement  for  the  fuel.  However,  there 
is  some  objection  to  storing  wood  in  the  cellar,  for  the  reason 
that  it  brings  bugs,  ants,  and  vermin  into  the  house. 

Coal-bins  should  be  constructed  with  hopper  bottoms,  —  with 
bottom  and  sides  slanting  from  level  of  outside  grade-line  to  cellar 
floor, — where  the  location  will  admit  of  it.  When  there  is  not 
a  cellar  under  all  of  the  house,  it  is  generally  possible  to  arrange 
the  coal-bin  under  the  part  without  cellar,  and  slanting  down  to 
the  part  so  used.  This  is  illustrated  in  plan  No.  n,  Chapter 
XX.  There  the  coal  is  put  through  the  windows  into  the  bins, 
and  slides  down  to  the  opening  in  cellar.  For  each  shovelful 
of  coal  taken  away  from  the  lower  opening,  another  will  take 
its  place.     This  is  particularly  true  with  crushed  coke,  or  anthra- 

51 


52  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

cite  coal,  or  nut  and  egg  sizes  of  other  fuel.  The  lump  sizes 
require  a  larger  opening  than  the  usual  twenty-inch-square 
opening  for  the  coal  mentioned.  These  bins  should  be  lined  on 
the  bottom  preferably  with  bricks  laid  in  cement.  If  this  is  not 
used,  two-inch  oak  boards  will  do.  Partitions  of  the  same 
material  should  be  used  to  separate  the  various  bins.  With  an 
arrangement  of  this  kind  a  large  amount  of  storage  capacity  can 
be  provided.  Under  some  circumstances  this  plan  cannot  be 
adopted.     In  such  a  case  the  ordinary  bins  may  be  used. 

As  houses  are  now  planned,  the  first  tier  of  joists  are  placed 
from  twenty  to  twenty-four  inches  above  the  grade-line.  Where 
it  is  not  possible  to  secure  that  height  for  cellar-windows,  areas 
may  be  built  of  brick  or  stone,  and  additional  light  provided. 
Light  is  the  enemy  of  disorder  and  uncleanliness ;  where  there 
is  exposure  there  will  be  less  disorder. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  have  the  cellar  under  the  whole  house, 
for  reasons  as  mentioned,  and  on  account  of  the  cost.  It  is 
sometimes  important  that  savings  of  all  kinds  be  made.  The 
furnace  may  be  set  in  a  pit  with  its  face  directed  to  the  cellar. 
It  is  best  that  the  opening  from  the  hoppered  coal-bins,  above 
described,  be  close  to  the  furnace.  If  it  can  be  opened  at  the 
side,  so  that  one  can  stand  in  the  pit  and  throw  coal  in  the  fire- 
box, it  is  better  than  any  other  arrangement. 

The  ordinary  cellar  is  seven  feet  in  the  clear,  and,  for  this 
reason,  it  is  nearly  always  necessary  to  pit  the  furnace.  This  is 
done  by  digging  an  extra  depth,  and  lining  the  area  and  opening 
with  brick. 

Near  enough  to  the  furnace  to  be  warm,  should  be  a  closet 
for  canned  fruit,  made  of  flooring-boards,  if  not  of  more  sub- 
stantial material,  and  provided  with  a  door  and  lock.  It  should 
be  shelved  with  board  about  seven  inches  apart.     Other  winter 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  53 

stores,  like  potatoes,  cabbage,  etc.,  should  be  kept  in  a  dark 
cellar  with  an  earth  floor.  It  is  the  opinion  of  farmers  and 
others  that  vegetables  keep  best  when  lying  next  the  ground. 
The  cellar-involving  arrangements  here  outlined  may  be  seen 
in  plan  No.  1 1 .  The  outside  door,  which  leads  into  the  cellar, 
should  bolt  on  the  inside,  and  the  upper  cellar  door  on  the 
outside.  There  should  be  doors  provided  to  separate  the  differ- 
ent rooms.  Where  cost  is  an  item,  they  may  be  made  of  two 
thicknesses  of  flooring-.  Cellar-windows  should  be  hung-  on 
hinges,  and  provided  with  bolt  fastenings;  catches  are  not 
secure. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A    LOW-COST    LAUNDRY. BLUE    MONDAY.  —  BASEMENT    LAUNDRY. 

LOW-COST     CONVENIENCES. INEXPENSIVE    LAUNDRY     FITTINGS. 

HOT       AND      COLD      WATER      ARRANGEMENTS.  A      LABOR -SAYING 

LAUNDRY.  A    PLACE    TO    DO    FRUIT-CANNING. 

THE  term  "  Blue  Monday  "  probably  originated  on  account 
of  its  being  general  wash-day,  and  a  day  in  which  every- 
body about  the  house  undertook  to  do  an  impossible  amount  of 
work  with  limited  resources. 

Most  of  the  washings  in  this  country  are  done  in  the  kitchen. 
The  wash-boiler  is  on  the  stove,  and  the  servant  or  mistress  of 
the  house,  or  both,  attempt  to  wash  and  do  their  cooking  with- 
out seriously  disturbing  the  routine  of  meals.  There  is  a  fussi- 
ness  about  everything  pertaining  to  that  day,  which  creates 
an  atmosphere  of  blueness  which  is  proverbial.  The  steamy, 
crowded  kitchen,  the  almost  inevitable  wetness  or  slipperiness, 
the  great  physical  exertion  required,  the  carrying  of  water,  the 
lifting  of  tubs,  are  all  uncomfortable,  and  the  work  is  done  at  a 
great  disadvantage.  In  an  expensive  house,  where  there  is 
plenty  of  money,  Monday  is  not  so  blue.  Immunity  is  pur- 
chased. Possibly  the  clothes  are  sent  from  the  house  to  be 
washed  in  somebody  else's  kitchen ;  maybe  to  be  worn  by 
some  one  else  before  they  are  returned,  and  often  to  be  injured 
or  destroyed  by  the  strong  washing-mixtures  and  soaps,  which 
are  made  to  save  rubbing.  This  kind  of  immunity  is  expensive. 
It  is  too  expensive  for  the  large  majority  of  people.  It  is  annoy- 
ing to  all  alike. 

54 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  55 

Laundry  work  will  sometime  be  done  at  a  cost  which  will 
admit  of  people  of  moderate  means  having  this  work  done  at  a 
public  laundry.  At  present,  the  general  laundry  work  of  an 
ordinary  household  cannot  be  done  in  this  way,  on  account  of  the 
expense. 

The  general  public  laundry,  where  arrangements  are  made 
to  do  the  entire  family  washing  at  a  low  cost,  is  a  complete  solu- 
tion of  the  Blue-Monday  problem  ;  but  until  the  laundry  is  an 
accomplished  fact,  such  work  will  be  done  at  home,  and  a  family 
laundry  must  be  considered  in  house-building.  It  would  be  a 
very  easy  matter  to  arrange  a  laundry  which  would  meet  all  the 
desired  conditions,  if  we  were  to  operate  independent  of  cost, 
but  the  large  majority  of  people  are  not  independent  in  this  way. 
If  it  were  not  a  matter  of  cost,  we  would  have  an  independent 
room  for  the  laundry  work,  with  porcelain  tubs,  and  hot  and 
cold  water  running  into  all  of  them ;  we  could  have  a  steam- 
drier,  and  many  other  things,  which  it  is  useless  to  mention 
here.  It  is  the  laundry  of  the  moderate-cost  house,  which  inter- 
ests the  largest  number  of  people. 

We  must  have  a  place  to  do  laundry  work  which  is  a  com- 
promise between  the  foggy  kitchen  and  the  laundry  with 
porcelain  tubs. 

As  houses  are  now  built,  the  first  floor  is  usually  from  two 
and  a  half  to  three  feet  above  the  grade.  This  affords  abundant 
opportunity  of  getting  a  well-lighted  basement.  If  the  base- 
ment is  dark,  put  more  windows  in  it,  and  whitewash  the  walls 
and  ceilings.  Cement  the  floor.  Put  in  a  slop  sink,  and  give 
it  a  trapped  connection  with  the  vault  or  sewer.  Provide  a 
pump  over  this  sink  to  connect  with  the  cistern.  If  the  city 
water  is  soft,  this  will  be  used  and  no  pump  will  be  required. 
Then  a  laundry  stove  is  to  be  provided.     Thus  we  have  every- 


56  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

thing  ready  for  use  without  much  labor,  and  certainly  at  a  very 
low  cost. 

The  basement  should  be  light  under  any  circumstances. 
The  floor  should  be  cemented,  the  joists  should  be  whitewashed, 
so  that  the  only  additions  necessary  to  make  the  laundry  work 
easy  are  a  laundry  stove,  a  place  to  throw  waste  water,  and  a 
supply  of  hot  and  cold  water.  If  one  does  not  care  to  heat  the 
water  in  the  ordinary  boiler,  there  is  a  very  simple  device  for 
heating  water  which  may  be  placed  in  any  laundry.  An  open 
tank,  which  will  hold  two  or  three  barrels  of  water,  can  be  placed 
over  the  stove  and  next  to  the  joist.  From  it  a  connection 
can  be  made  with  the  laundry  stove  by  means  of  lead  and  iron 
pipe.  This  pipe  should  start  from  the  bottom  of  the  tank  and 
connect  with  an  iron  pipe  which  enters  the  stove,  and  passes 
around  the  inside  of  the  fire-pot,  then  to  the  outside  and  con- 
nects with  another  lead  pipe,  which  empties  into  the  tank  again 
on  a  level  above  the  first  opening.  Thus  the  cold  water  would 
come  from  t]ie  bottom  of  the  tank,  through  the  stove  where 
it  would  be  heated,  thence  upward  and  into  the  tank.  This 
would  give  a  hot-water  circulating  connection,  and  in  this  way 
provide  hot  water  for  use  in  the  laundry.  This  arrangement 
would  require  a  low-cost  force-pump  to  force  the  water  to  the 
tank.  There  are  many  kinds  of  these  pumps,  which  are  substan- 
tial and  can  be  secured  at  a  low  cost.  The  pipe  from  the  stove 
could  be  supplied  with  a  compression  cock  from  which  the  water 
could  be  drawn  into  the  tubs.  The  better  way  would  be  to 
have  an  independent  tank  connection.  Lead  pipe  was  men- 
tioned as  being  the  pipe  to  use  in  making  the  connection  with 
the  iron  pipe  in  the  laundry  stove.  Galvanized  iron  pipe  would 
answer  every  purpose  and  cost  a  little  less.  Where  set  tubs 
are  not  used,  the  water  could  be  readily  distributed  by  means  of 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  57 

a  hose  pipe.  If  the  above  arrangement  is  too  expensive,  the 
stove  only  can  be  used  for  heating  water. 

Set  tubs  might  be  used  instead  of  the  ordinary  wooden  ones 
which  were  contemplated,  and  would  save  a  good  deal  of  labor, 
but  the  cost  is  something  which  all  cannot  afford.  The  arrange- 
ment described  here  can  be  reached  by  nearly  every  one  of  mod- 
erate means.  It  provides  a  place  to  throw  slop  water,  and  brings 
hot  and  cold  water  close  at  hand.  It  isolates  the  washing  from 
the  cooking,  and  the  smell  of  washing  from  the  whole  house. 
It  is  very  different  from  the  conditions  in  most  houses,  where  the 
water  has  to  be  carried  from  the  backyard  into  the  house,  lifted 
to  the  stove,  poured  into  the  tubs,  and  afterward  carried  out,  a 
bucket  at  a  time,  and  emptied  over  the  back  fence,  if  the  tub  is 
not  dragged  out  and  emptied  into  the  yard. 

It  is  well  in  building  a  new  house  to  have  an  outside  cellar- 
way  to  facilitate  the  use  of  the  laundry  below.  In  such  a  case 
the  clothes  can  be  carried  into  the  yard  without  being  taken 
through  the  kitchen.  There  will  be  times  when  the  weather  will 
not  permit  taking  the  clothes  outdoors.  In  very  cold  weather 
it  should  never  be  done.  It  is  murderous  for  a  woman  to  have 
to  carry  clothes  from  a  hot,  steamy  laundry  or  kitchen  at  eighty 
degrees  to  the  cold,  dry  air  of  the  outside.  There  is  no  woman 
so  strong  that  she  can  stand  this.  All  the  clothes  can  be  readily 
dried  in  the  basement.  Here  is  presented  another  argument  in 
favor  of  the  laundry  below.  The  washing  can  always  be  done 
at  the  appointed  time  in  spite  of  the  weather.  When  one  goes 
into  a  large  attic  he  is  apt  to  say,  "  What  a  splendid  place  to 
dry  clothes."  People  who  dry  clothes  in  the  attic  usually  do  the 
washing  in  the  kitchen. 

A  basement  laundry  is  a  cool  place  in  summer  and  a  warm 
one  in  winter.     There  is  no  better  place  for  ironing  in  warm 


58  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

weather,  for  even  with  a  fire  the  basement  is  always  cool.  Nor 
can  there  be  a  better  place  for  canning  fruit.  The  conven- 
iences of  plenty  of  water,  a  fire,  and  yet  a  cool  place  for  doing 
this  extremely  laborious  work,  will  be  readily  appreciated. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE     SECOND    FLOOR. STAIRWAYS. THE    COMBINATION    STAIRWAY. 

IDEAL    NUMBER    OF    BEDROOMS.  LARGE    CLOSETS    AND    PLENTY 

OF     THEM.  A     LINEN-CLOSET. PLACING     OF     GAS-FIXTURES. 

SERVANT'S     ROOM. BATH-ROOM. AN     ATTIC. ATTIC     CLOSETS. 

ATTIC    ROOMS. 

IN  many  houses  a  combination  stairway  is  used.  By  this  is 
meant  one  in  which  the  front  and  rear  stairways  run  together 
in  a  common  landing.  In  this  case,  there  should  be  doors  sep- 
arating the  rear  from  the  front  stairway,  one  at  the  beginning, 
and  one  at  the  end  of  the  rear  part.  The  combination  stairway 
is  a  compromise.  Oftentimes,  however,  one  can  secure  other 
things  which  are  desirable  by  its  use.  There  are  other  com- 
promises more  objectionable  than  the  combination  stairway. 

A  stairway  of  this  kind  is  not  used  as  the  most  desirable 
thing,  but  as  the  least  objectionable  of  other  compromises  ;  for 
instance,  if  one  can  secure,  for  a  given  cost,  an  additional  room 
or  two  by  using  a  combination  stairway,  the  room  is  frequently 
preferable.  No  one  can  doubt  but  that  a  front  stairway,  entirely 
separated  from  the  one  in  the  rear,  is  the  best  thing  to  have ; 
however,  it  is  easy  to  understand  that  a  combination  stairway 
may  be  used  for  reasons  above  stated.  In  some  of  the  plans 
a  stairway  is  shown,  starting  from  a  stair-hall  in  the  rear  of 
reception-hall  or  room.  Under  such  circumstances,  a  combina- 
tion is  not  necessary.  One  can  come  from  the  kitchen  and 
go  upstairs  without  being  observed  from  the  other  parts  of  the 
house.  Again,  combinations  are  sometimes  used  so  that  they 
apply  to  the  servant's  room   as  a  continuous  stairway,  and  as 

59 


60  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

a  combination  to  the  other  parts  of  the  house.  This  is  true 
of  several  plans  given. 

It  is  almost  superfluous  to  say  that  a  stairway  should  be 
easy,  still  it  is  known  that  not  all  are  so.  The  one  in  the  front 
part  of  the  building  should  always  be  made  without  winders  ; 
that  in  the  rear,  the  same  way  if  possible.  Landings  are  prefer- 
able, and  make  a  staircase  beautiful.  Stairways  may  be  consid- 
ered from  a  hygienic  standpoint.  This,  however,  is  not  necessary 
in  this  connection.  Where  there  is  only  one  stairway,  it  is 
not  uncommon  to  have  it  start  from  the  dining-room,  and,  if 
one  stops  to  think  about  it,  this  is  not  a  bad  arrangement. 
The  dining-room  is  centrally  located,  and  the  stairway  may  be 
used  by  the  servants  when  this  room  is  not  otherwise  in  use. 
Certainly  it  is  less  objectionable  than  placing  it  in  a  hall 
through  which  all  have  to  pass,  or  where  it  is  necessary  to  pass 
throuo-h  other  rooms  to  reach  the  second  floor  from  the  rear. 
A  combination  stairway,  or  one  that  starts  up  from  the  dining- 
room,  is  less  objectionable  in  a  house  where  there  is  a  bath-room 
on  the  second  floor  than  it  would  otherwise  be.  Where  the 
bath-room  is  so  placed,  it  is  not  necessary  that  the  slops  be  car- 
ried down  or  the  water  carried  up  stairs ;  and,  in  other  respects, 
it  is  less  necessary  to  use  the  stairway  in  a  disagreeable  way. 

The  rear  stairway  should  be  connected  with  the  front  part 
of  house  by  means  of  a  hall  on  the  second  floor.  It  is  generally 
found  desirable  to  have  a  girl's  room  near  the  rear  stairway, 
and  to  cut  off  that  part  of  the  house  from  the  front  by  means 
of  a  door.  There  should  be  means  of  lighting,  artificial  and 
otherwise,  at  the  beginning  and  landings  of  all  stairways. 

In  a  young  and  growing  family,  five  is  the  ideal  number  of 
rooms  for  the  second  floor.  This  number  may  be  increased  or 
decreased  according  to  the  size  and  development  of  the  family. 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  6 1 

Where  there  are  five  rooms  it  affords,  first,  a  family  room  in 
front,  built  over  the  parlor  or  sitting-room  ;  next  to  that  is  a 
room  in  front  for  the  very  young  children,  and  afterwards  for  the 
girls ;  then  the  room  in  the  rear  of  the  family  room  may  be  for 
the  boys  ;  the  fourth  room  for  guests,  and  the  fifth  for  the  ser- 
vant. The  guest-room  view  is  to  the  side  and  the  rear.  There 
are  cases  where  one  must  accommodate  a  large  number  of  peo- 
ple with  a  smaller  number  of  rooms,  and,  again,  a  larger  number 
of  rooms  is  thought  indispensable.  In  connection  with  the  size 
of  bedrooms,  we  may  say  what  was  said  before,  —  that  their 
availability  does  not  depend  entirely  upon  their  size.  A  room 
may  be  large  and  still  not  contain  a  place  for  a  bed  or  other 
furniture.  It  may  be  moderately  small  and  yet  have  space 
for  all. 

The  more  we  think  about  the  arrangement  of  houses,  the 
larger  appear  the  number  of  indispensables.  It  used  to  be 
thought  unnecessary  to  have  a  closet  in  every  bedroom ;  one 
was  certainly  enough  in  the  family  room.  Now  it  is  almost  a 
necessity  that  there  be  two  closets  in  the  family  room  —  one  for 
the  lady,  and  a  smaller  one  for  the  gentleman.  There  should 
certainly  be  one  closet  in  every  bedroom,  and,  in  addition  to  that, 
one  which  opens  from  the  hall,  to  be  used  for  bed-linen  and 
general  bedroom  supplies.  A  suitable  place  for  brooms  and 
dust-pans  is  the  attic  stairway  when  a  special  closet  is  not 
provided. 

In  lighting  bedrooms  there  should  be  at  least  one  window 
for  each  outside  exposure.  Where  the  size  will  admit,  there 
should  be  two  windows  placed  so  that  the  dressing-case  can  be 
set  between  them,  either  in  the  corner  or  otherwise.  Most  bed- 
rooms are  lighted  artificially  by  bracket  lights  instead  of  the 
centre  light.     There  should  be  one  bracket  on  each  side  of  the 


62  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

dressing-case ;  if  not,  a  pendent  light  immediately  over  it. 
Centre  connections  for  gas-fixture  are  usually  provided,  but 
in  practice  many  houses  are  not  supplied  with  the  fixture. 

Grates  on  the  second  floor  make  work  :  carrying  of  fuel  and 
ashes  is  always  disagreeable  in  the  extremest  degree.  The 
placing  of  ash-pits  in  the  cellar  may  make  it  unnecessary  to  carry 
the  ashes,  but  still  grates  make  work.  At  the  same  time  it  is 
very  pleasant  to  have  a  grate  in  the  bedroom  ;  they  are  the  best 
means  of  ventilation  known. 

The  servant's  room  is  not  usually  very  large,  seldom  large 
enough.  It  should  be  provided  with  a  closet,  the  same  as  other 
rooms.  The  window  in  that  room  should  be  set  high  enough 
from  the  floor  so  as  to  admit  of  the  placing  of  a  trunk  under  it, 
without  interfering  with  the  light  or  in  other  ways  appearing 
uncomfortable. 

The  bath-room  and  general  plumbing  work  are  considered 
in  detail  in  the  following  chapter.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that 
there  should  be  as  little  wood-work  as  possible  in  the  bath-room. 
Water-proof  plastering  should  be  used,  and  when  this  becomes 
soiled  it  can  be  washed  and  painted. 

There  is  nothing  a  housekeeper  appreciates  more  than  a  good 
attic  and  an  easy  stairway  leading  to  it.  Often  attics  are  not 
plastered ;  they  should  always  be  floored  at  the  same  time 
the  house  is  built.  Where  it  is  not  possible  to  make  divisions 
by  plastering,  and  other  substantial  material,  light  wooden  parti- 
tions will  serve  the  purpose  of  providing  means  of  classifying 
that  which  is  stored  in  the  attic,  and  prevent  it  from  being  in  a 
continual  state  of  disorder.  The  rooms  may  be  fitted  with 
shelves,  closets,  etc. 

Where  it  is  possible  so  to  do,  the  attic  room  should  be  plas- 
tered.    It  makes  the  rooms  below  appreciably  cooler  in  summer. 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  63 

In  most  of  the  plans  herein  illustrated,  the  roof  is  high  enough 
to  provide  space  for  good  rooms,  with  ceilings  as  high  and  as 
square  as  those  of  the  rooms  below.  It  is  cheaper  to  provide 
rooms  in  this  way  than  to  spread  over  more  ground  ;  and  there 
is  certainly  no  valid  objection  to  their  use  by  the  boys  of  the 
family. 


CHAPTER   X. 

PLUMBING. IS      PLUMBING     ENTIRELY      SAFE  ? COMPLETENESS     IN 

PLUMBING    APPARATUS.  LABOR-SAVING     PLUMBING    APPARATUS. 

SEWER     CONNECTIONS.  SOIL     PIPE. A     TRAP. ACCIDENTS     TO 

TRAPS. FREQUENT    USE    OF    PLUMBING  APPARATUS    DESIRABLE  FOR 

SAFETY. WATER-CLOSETS.  SIMPLICITY     IN     PLUMBING.  DRAIN 

CONNECTIONS. TO    KEEP    PLUMBING    APPARATUS    FROM    FREEZING. 

CISTERN  WATER  SUPPLY. GREASE  SINK. FLUSHING   OF   DRAIN. 

BATH-TUB. 

IN  considering  the  plumbing  apparatus  of  a  house,  the  question 
is  often  asked,  "  Are  these  things  safe  ?  Do  they  not  endan- 
ger the  health  of  the  occupants  of  the  house  ?  "  The  answer  is, 
The  plumbing  apparatus  may  be  entirely  safe.  That  it  is  not 
always  so,  we  all  know.  We  hear  of  many  cases  of  typhoid 
fever,  diphtheria,  scarlet  fever,  and  other  diseases,  which  are 
traceable  to,  or  aggravated  by,  defective  plumbing.  In  some 
sections  of  the  country  so  much  trouble  has  been  caused  by  poor 
plumbing,  that  the  people,  as  a  class,  have  come  to  be  suspicious 
of  all.  The  reason  for  this  is  the  effort  to  cheapen  the  work. 
Suffering  from  bad  work  has  led  to  safety.  In  larger  cities  this 
work  is  under  the  control  of  the  city  government.  It  may  be 
said  that  it  is  possible  so  to  arrange  the  fixtures  and  apparatus 
appertaining  to  plumbing  that  it  is  entirely  safe.  The  question 
naturally  follows,  "  How  is  this  done  ?  " 

It  may  be  said  that  good  work  is  not  a  great  deal  more  ex- 
pensive than  poor  work.  Again,  good  work  is  not  always  a 
question  of  money.  It  is  one  of  knowledge  or  inclination  on 
the  part  of  the  plumber. 

64 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  65 

One  in  moderate  circumstances,  who  builds  a  house  to  cost 
from  twenty-five  hundred  to  four  thousand  dollars,  should  have 
well  water  or  city  water,  and  hot  and  cold  cistern  water  in  the 
sink  in  the  kitchen.  There  should  be  at  least  a  slop-hopper 
in  the  laundry.  In  the  bath-room  a  water-closet,  a  tub,  and 
generally  a  wash-stand.  This  latter  feature  is  not  absolutely 
necessary,  as  will  be  explained  later.  In  the  attic  there  should 
be  a  tank  to  hold  the  cistern  water,  which  is  connected  with  the 
fixtures  using  soft  water  below.  A  force-pump,  or  water-motor, 
may  be  located  in  the  kitchen  or  basement  to  lift  the  water  to 
tank.  In  more  elaborate  houses  a  completer  plumbing  appa- 
ratus may  be  used.  There  may  be  an  especial  sink  in  the  china- 
closet.  There  may  be  wash-stands  in  the  various  chambers,  and 
one  on  the  first  floor. 

There  may  be,  also,  an  additional  wrater-closet  on  the  first 
floor,  or  in  the  cellar,  located  where  it  is  accessible  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family.  There  are  many  ways  of  expending  money  in 
plumbing  fixtures  ;  but,  with  those  first  mentioned,  one  may  be 
entirely  comfortable,  and  derive  all  of  the  housekeeping  benefits 
which  may  be  expected  from  such  conveniences.  Unless  the 
house  be  large,  an  increase  in  the  number  of  fixtures  would 
increase  the  amount  of  work  done  in  keeping  them  clean,  rather 
than  save  labor. 

In  the  matter  of  safety,  another  question,  which  sometimes 
arises,  is  as  to  the  danger  from  the  plumbing  apparatus  where 
there  is  no  sewer  connection,  or  where  it  has  to  be  made  with 
a  vault.  The  protection  against  sewer-gas  is  not  from  the 
sewer  itself  or  the  vault.  It  is  entirely  through  protective 
apparatus  in  the  house,  and  the  manner  of  the  connection  with 
the  vault  or  sewer. 

One  may  consider  the  conditions  of  safety  in  plumbing  ap- 


66  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

paratus  under  two  general  heads.  First,  as  to  the  workmanship ; 
second,  as  to  design  or  plan  of  the  apparatus.  Nothing  need 
be  said  as  to  the  workmanship,  excepting  that  the  execution  of 
the  design,  or  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  it,  may  be  entirely 
lost  by  defective  workmanship.  If  the  work  is  not  properly 
executed,  the  design  need  not  be  considered.  The  result  will 
be  bad  irrespective  of  the  plan. 

In  considering  the  design  of  the  apparatus,  we  will  take  into 
account  the  arrangement  of  the  connections  and  fixtures.  By 
the  latter  expression  is  meant  the  tub,  the  water-closet,  the 
wash-bowl,  and  the  sink,  pump,  etc.  The  connections  which 
have  to  do  with  the  safety  of  the  apparatus  are  the  traps  and , 
the  waste  pipes,  or  pipes  which  connect  with  the  vault  or  sewer. 

The  main  waste  pipe  inside  the  house  is  called  the  soil  pipe. 
The  smaller  waste  pipes  from  the  fixtures  connect  with  it.  The 
soil  pipe  is  of  cast-iron,  and  usually  four  inches  in  diameter  on 
the  inside.  It  connects,  full  size,  with  the  water-closet.  Most 
other  wastes  are  of  lead,  and  are  usually  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
diameter.  In  the  soil  and  waste  pipes  there  will  naturally  be 
the  odors  from  the  vaults  and  sewer,  or  from  the  foul  matter 
which  is  in  or  passing  through  the  pipes.  Therefore,  there  must 
be  means  in  each  waste  pipe,  which  connects  a  fixture  with  the 
main  soil  pipe,  of  preventing  the  passage  of  gas  or  air  from  it 
into  the  house.  This  is  done  by  means  of  what  is  called  a  trap. 
The  "S"  trap  is  the  commonest  form;  this  name  is  given 
it  from  its  shape,  and  illustrates  its  construction.  If  we  take  a 
letter  S  and  turn  it  sideways  we  will  get  the  form  of  such  a  trap. 
The  rio-ht  side  or  end  would  continue  directly  down  toward  the 
drain  or  soil  pipe,  and  the  left  side  would  continue  upward  and 
connect  with  the  fixture  (see  Fig.  6) .  The  water  from  the  fix- 
ture comes  down  and  is  forced  upward  through  the  bend  by  the 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  7HE  HOUSE.  67 

pressure  of  water  above,  and  from  thence  runs  into  the  soil  pipe 

or  drain.     Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  always  a  seal  of 

water  in   the   trap.     There  is  always  water  in  the 

trap  as  indicated  by  the  depth  of  the  bend  of  the  S. 

There  are  hundreds  of  different  forms  of  traps,  but 

they  are  all  constructed  on  the  same  principle  ;  the 

idea  being  that  the  gas  or  air  from  the  pipe  would 

have  to  pass  through  the  water  in  order  to  get  into 

the    house.     The  water    in   the   trap   is  called   the 

seal  ;   it  seals  the  passage  of  air  as  stated. 

There  are  many  conditions  under  which  a  trap  may  fail  to 
do  its  full  duty.  It  may  be  foul  in  itself,  or  it  may  be  rendered 
foul  by  the  bad  air  in  the  drain.  The  trap  may  be  siphoned  by 
a  heavy  flow  of  water  through  the  main  drain,  or  it  may  be 
siphoned  by  a  string  or  a  rag  which  may  readily  find  its  way  into 
the  trap,  and  hang  over  the  bend  so  that  all  of  the  water  will  run 
out.  Again,  the  water  in  the  trap  may  evaporate.  All  these 
dangers  may  be  guarded  against.  In  the  first  place,  there 
should  be  means  which  allow  fresh  air  to  pass  through  all  that 
portion  of  the  main  drain  or  soil  pipe  which  is  in  or  close  to 
the  house.     The  means  of  accomplishing  this  are  various. 

The  soil  pipe  is  ventilated  by  continuing  up  through  and 
well  above  the  roof  with  a  full  opening  at  the  top.  The  smaller 
drains  should  be  ventilated  in  the  same  way  when  far  removed 
from  main  soil  pipe  or  other  connection.  The  traps  should  be 
ventilated  by  H-inch  or  two-inch  connections  with  the  outer  air, 
as  shown  by  cut. 

Frequent  use  of  plumbing  fixtures  contributes  to  safety. 
It  causes  a  large  volume  of  water  to  pass  through  the  pipes. 
The  flushing  of  the  pipes  and  drains  in  this  way  makes  them 
cleaner  and  thus  safer.     It  is  frequently  said  by  those  who  have 


68 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


plumbing  fixtures  in  their  houses  that  they  use  them  as  little  as 
possible,  because  they  are  afraid  of  them.  Nothing  worse  could 
be  done.  The  water  in  the  traps  evaporates  or  becomes  foul, 
and  thus  the  gas  has  a  free  entrance  to  the  house.  A  water- 
closet  helps  greatly  to  cleanse  the  soil  pipe  and  outside  drain. 
It  discharges  a  large  volume  of  water  into  it  suddenly,  in  a  way 
to  keep  it  clean.  It  is  not  a  bad  plan  to  use  the  closet  at  least 
once  a  day,  solely  for  the  purpose  of  flushing  the  drain.  In 
houses  where  there  are  a  number  of  wash-stands  distributed 
through  the  various  chambers  and  halls  there  is  danger  from 
neglect  in  using  them.  The  water  seal  in  the  traps  may  evap- 
orate, and  thus  give  direct  sewer-air  connection  with  the  house. 
Particularly  is  this  so  in  the  guest's  room.  A  wash-stand  is  a 
more  dangerous  fixture  for  this  reason  than  any  other  in  the 
house. 

The  water-closet  problem  has  received  a  great  deal  of  atten- 
tion.    A  few  years  ago  they  were  quite  complicated,  there  being 

levers  and  pipes,  pans,  springs 
and  weights,  to  a  decree  of  com- 
plexity  which  caused  a  great 
deal  of  trouble.  There  has  since 
been  a  return  to  first  principles 
and  great  simplicity.  The  water- 
closet  of  to-day  is  nothing  more 
or  less  than  a  large  bowl  con- 
nected by  means  of  an  "S"  trap 
four  inches  in  diameter  with  the 
soil  pipe,  and  provided  with 
means  of  flushing  with  large  vol- 
umes of  water.  Such  a  closet  is  known  as  the  "washout  closet." 
In  other  closets  there  is  an  intermediate  plunger-valve  separating 


Wixtaout  Wot_©r-  CJloae*. 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  69 

the  hopper  from  the  trap.  The  plunger-valve  is  defined  by  its 
name.  It  is  a  large  stopper  which  plunges  into  and  closes  up  the 
opening  to  the  trap  by  means  of  its  own  weight  when  released. 
That  which  makes  one  closet  different  from  another  has  to  do 
more  with  means  of  flushing  than  anything  else.  By  flushing  is 
meant  the  pouring  into  and  distribution  of  water  in  the  hopper. 
The  most  popular  closets,  those  which  have  given  the  most 
satisfaction,  are  "washout"  closets,  made  entirely  of  white 
earthenware,  not  alone  the  bowl,  but  the  trap  and  connecting 
neck.  Closets  are  best  flushed  from  an  independent  tank, 
which  is  placed  about  seven  feet  above  the  closet  and  connects 
with  it  by  means  of  i|-inch  pipe.  The  height  gives  it  a  strong 
flush  of  water,  which  cleanses  it  thoroughly. 

In  the  past  it  has  been  usual  to  conceal  the  earthenware  or 
iron  body  of  the  closet.  It  is  best  to  leave  it  entirely  open 
around  the  sides,  that  the  entire  apparatus  may  be  exposed. 
Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  support  the  flap  and  seat  by  legs, 
though  the  modern  closets  are  arranged  so  that  all  of  the  wood- 
work may  be  secured  to  the  upper  part  of  the  hopper  or  the  wall. 
There  should  be  the  solid  flap  covering  to  the  wooden  seat  with 
the  opening  in  it,  both  of  which  should  be  hinged,  so  as  to 
allow  them  to  be  thrown  back.  It  is  convenient  to  use  the 
water-closet  as  a  slop  hopper.  In  order  to  do  this  the  seat 
should  be  hinged,  so  that  it  may  be  thrown  back  out  of  the 
way. 

One  frequently  hears  it  said  by  those  who  exercise  their 
authority  over  household  matters  that  they  do  not  allow  any- 
thing to  be  put  into  the  water-closet  except  that  which  is 
naturally  intended  for  it ;  meaning  that  they  do  not  allow  the 
slop  water  to  be  put  into  it.  There  is  no  reason  in  this.  The 
closet  that  cannot  be  used  for  this  purpose  cannot,  with  safety, 


JO  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

be  allowed  in  the  house.  The  use  of  the  water-closet  as  a  slop 
sink  is  not  only  legitimate  but  desirable.     It  flushes  the  drain. 

There  is  a  movement  toward  simplicity  in  general  plumbing 
apparatus.  At  the  time  the  water-closets  were  in  the  complicated 
state  mentioned,  everything  pertaining  to  plumbing  was  in  the 
same  general  condition.  It  was  thought  necessary  to  fill  a  house 
with  a  wilderness  of  pipes  and  traps  to  have  it  safe  or  satisfac- 
tory. The  very  complexity  of  the  arrangement  made  it  not  only 
unsafe  but  expensive  to  maintain. 

We  have  all  heard  a  great  deal  about  the  expense  of  main- 
taining a  plumbing  plant,  if  it  may  be  so  called.  There  is  no 
reason  why  there  should  be  constant  repairs  and  expense. 
It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  additional  expense  is  not  necessary 
to  secure  immunity  from  trouble.  The  idea  of  simplicity  in 
arrangement,  general  excellence  in  the  fixtures,  material,  and 
labor,  which  go  to  form  the  completed  work,  has  to  be  borne  in 
mind.  The  arrangement  of  the  plumbing  apparatus  has  to  be 
planned  with  the  same  care  and  thoughtfulness  as  the  other  parts 
of  the  house. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  if  the  pipes  are  placed  in  a 
position  where  the  temperature  is  liable  to  fall  below  thirty-two 
degrees  the  water  in  the  pipes  will  freeze.  Thus  it  is  sug- 
gested that  all  pipes  should  be  on  an  inside  wall,  —  if  possible, 
next  to  the  kitchen  flue,  —  and  that  there  be  here  arranged 
an  especial  pipe  duct  of  wood  to  ventilate  the  kitchen,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  keep  the  pipes  from  freezing  by  means  of  the 
warm  air  which  will  pass  through  it.  This  duct  should  be  cov- 
ered on  the  face  with  a  wide  board,  which  can  be  readily  removed 
by  taking  out  a  few  screws.  Thus  the  pipes  may  be  exposed  at 
any  time  desirable. 

If  the  hot-water  boiler  in  the  kitchen  is  surrounded  by  an 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  J I 

enclosure  which  has  an  opening  in  the  bottom,  and  which  con- 
nects from  above  with  the  pipe  duct  previously  described, 
there  will  be  a  current  of  warm  air  passing  upward  through  the 
pipe  duct  as  long  as  there  is  warm  water  in  the  boiler.  The 
water  in  the  boiler  will  be  warm  long  after  everything  else  is 
cold.     This  will  insure  safety  from  freezing  when  other  helps  fail. 

The  cistern  water  is  supplied  to  the  bath-room,  and  to  the 
hot-water  reservoir,  by  means  of  a  tank  placed  in  the  attic,  or  at 
least  above  the  highest  fixture.  It  sometimes  happens  that  the 
supply  pipe  from  the  tank  above  the  attic  floor  freezes.  All 
this  may  be  prevented  by  enclosing  the  tank,  and  the  pipe 
which  connects  with  it,  with  a  large  box  or  canvas  covering 
which  is  six  or  eight  inches  larger  than  the  tank.  This  confines 
the  warm  air  from  the  duct  mentioned,  so  that  as  long  as  there 
is  heat  it  will  always  be  in  this  enclosure. 

The  outside  drain,  which  connects  with  the  vault  or  sewer, 
is,  in  some  instances,  trapped  previous  to  its  entrance  to  the 
sewer  or  vault.  In  such  cases,  this  trap  should  have  a  connec- 
tion with  the  outer  air,  and  on  the  side  of  the  trap  towards  the 
house.  Sometimes  this  outer-air  connection  is  made  into  the 
water  spout  from  the  roof ;  but  this  is  not  proper,  for  the  reason 
that  the  sewer  gas,  or  the  gas  from  the  vault,  is  almost  certain 
to  destroy  the  spout.  Again,  this  spout  may  come  out  near 
a  dormer,  or  may  pass  near  a  window,  and  in  either  case  may 
contaminate  the  air  in  the  house.  It  is  better  that  this  venti- 
lating connection  should  be  in  the  yard,  at  some  distance  from 
the  house,  or,  better  yet,  that  there  should  be  a  long  iron  pipe 
extending  well  above  the  ground.  It  should  be  understood  that 
this  vent  has  no  direct  connection  with  the  sewer,  but  merely 
with  the  soil  pipe  and  drain  back  of  the  trap  ;  with  that  part 
of  it  which  is  nearest  to,  and  in,  the  house. 


72  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  run  the  down  spouts  into  the 
sewer  connection  ;  in  such  a  case  one  should  be  certain  that 
the  down-spout  openings  are  not  near  the  dormers,  and  that 
they  have  no  connection  whatever  with  the  cistern.  It  is  com- 
mon to  have  a  switch  or  cut-off  in  the  down  spout,  so  that  the 
latter  may  be  connected  either  with  the  cistern  or  sewer.  This 
is  very  bad  practice.  While  it  is  connected  with  the  sewer  or 
with  the  drain  pipe,  the  down  spout  is  contaminated  with  all 
the  foulness  of  the  air  of  the  drain.  On  its  being  connected 
with  the  cistern,  the  water  is  poisoned. 

Immunity  from  sewer  gas  in  the  house  is  largely  dependent 
upon  the  flushing  and  ventilation  of  the  drain  and  the  soil  pipe. 
In  the  case  of  a  drain  which  is  trapped  as  described,  there  is 
an  air  connection  through  the  vent  before  the  trap  ;  then  the 
soil  pipe  which  is  in  the  house  should  continue  upward  through 
the  roof.  Thus  there  is  a  fresh  air  inlet  through  the  drain,  and 
upward  through  the  soil  pipe  of  the  house.  Such  a  connection 
prevents  the  possibility  of  siphoning  the  traps,  as  it  gives  an 
outward  air  connection.  The  water  passing  through  the  drain 
or  soil  pipe  can  draw  its  supply  of  air  from  the  upward  soil  vent, 
rather  than  through  the  traps  which  contain  water.  When  there 
is  no  upward  vent  of  the  soil  or  drain,  the  water  in  the  traps 
which  connect  therewith  will  be  drawn  out  by  the  passage  of 
water  through  the  drain  where  fixtures  are  used. 

There  are  those  who  maintain  that  there  should  be  no  trap 
in  the  yard  or  adjacent  to  the  house,  but  that  there  should  be 
a  straight  run  from  the  soil  pipe  to  the  sewer  or  vault,  and 
upward  through  the  roof  and  above  the  house.  It  is  good 
practice  to  use  the  trap  as  described  for  sewer  connections,  but 
not  for  open  vault  connections. 

A  grease  sink  is  frequently  placed  in  the  drain  to  intercept 


A  JOURNEY  1HR0UGH  THE   HOUSE.  7$ 

the  passage  of  grease  into  the  vault.  It  is  so  placed  and  con- 
nected that  only  the  water  from  the  kitchen  sink,  or  other  fix- 
tures where  the  water  contains  grease,  may  enter  it.  It  is  made 
of  brick,  and  is  usually  of  six  or  eight  barrels  capacity.  A  four- 
inch  pipe  connects  it  with  the  kitchen  waste,  and  if  the  grease 
sink  is  placed  adjacent  to  the  main  drain,  there  can  be  a  similar 
connection  between  it  and  the  main  drain.  It  should  be  a 
siphon  connection,  so  that  the  sink  will  become  nearly  full 
before  it  discharges.  When  it  discharges  through  the  siphon 
the  water  will  go  out  with  a  rush  and  leave  the  grease  in  the 
sink.  This  makes  an  intermittent  discharge  into  the  main  drain, 
which  flushes  or  cleanses  it  thoroughly  and  is  much  better  than 
a  constant  small  flow  of  water.  This  grease  sink  must  be 
cleaned  from  time  to  time.  Small  cast-iron  grease  sinks  are 
sometimes  placed  under  kitchen  sinks  in  very  large  dwellings  or 
hotels. 

Nothing  particular  need  be  said  in  regard  to  wash-stands 
more  than  has  been  said,  excepting,  possibly,  that  the  drain 
should  be  trapped,  ventilated,  and  connected  with  the  soil  pipe ; 
also  that  there  should  be  a  lead  safe  or  safety  pan  on  the  floor 
under  the  wash-stand  when  they  are  enclosed  ;  it  is  preferable 
that  they  should  remain  unenclosed.  It  has  been  common  to 
connect  this  safe  with  the  soil  pipe.  It  is  only  intended  that 
it  should  be  useful  in  cases  of  accidental  overflow  ;  but,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  there  be  a  trap  in  the  safe  waste  or 
drain,  it  would  be  empty  most  of  the  time,  because  of  the  evap- 
oration of  the  water.  It  is  proper  to  make  direct  connection 
with  the  cellar  or  kitchen  sink. 

The  bath-tub  should  have  the  same-sized  drain  connec- 
tion as  the  wash-stand ;  that  is,  one  and  one-half  inch  in 
diameter,  trapped.     The   overflows   from  both   the  wash-stand 


74  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

and  tub  should  be  flushed  with  hot  water  quite  frequently,  to 
avoid  the  soap  smells  which  are  so  common  to  bath-rooms. 
It  often  happens  that  those  who  have  bath-rooms  in  their 
houses  imagine  that  they  smell  sewer  gas,  when  it  is  nothing 
more  or  less  than  the  smell  of  rancid  soap. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

HEAT     AND     VENTILATION. COMMON     HEATING     ARRANGEMENTS.  

PRESENT     METHODS     GENERALLY     UNSATISFACTORY. IDEAL     CON- 
DITIONS.   PROPER    AMOUNT    OF     MOISTURE     RARELY    ATTAINED. 

A    FURNACE    DEFINED.   METHODS     OF    REACHING     BEST     RESULTS. 

SUPPLY     OF      PROPER     AMOUNT     OF      MOISTURE.  REMOVAL      OF 

FOUL  AIR. SUPPLYING   FRESH  AIR  WITH    PROPER    MOISTURE    FROM 

STOVES. STEAM    AND     HOT    WATER    HEATING. DIRECT   AND    IN- 
DIRECT   RADIATION. LOW-COST    HEATING    APPARATUS. 

IT  is  only  within  a  short  time  that  the  heating  and  ventilation 
of  buildings  of  any  kind  have  been  in  any  measure  satisfactory. 
This  applies  only  to  the  largest  buildings ;  the  heating  and 
ventilating  of  smaller  structures  are  still  in  an  unsatisfactory  con- 
dition. Most  dwelling-houses  are  heated  with  stoves,  which,  as 
now  arranged,  are  not  successful.  The  same  air  is  heated  over 
and  over  again.  Fresh  air  in  the  proper  quantities  or  from  the 
proper  source  is  not  supplied  to  the  interior  of  the  building. 
Grates  are  very  well  in  their  way  in  that  they  take  large  quan- 
tities of  air  from  the  room.  Thus  far  they  ventilate.  The  supply 
of  air  is  necessarily  irregular,  unless  special  means  are  provided. 

Furnaces  are  used  for  heating  a  very  large  number  of  houses. 
While  they  are  satisfactory  in  some  respects,  they  are  deficient 
in  others.  The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  steam,  hot-water, 
or  other  heating  apparatus. 

As  the  statement  has  been  made  that  heating  systems  in 
general,  as  applied  to  dwelling-houses,  are  unsatisfactory,  it  may 
be  well  to  state  the  fault,  and  what  is  to  be  desired.     It  is  not 

75 


j6  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

the  purpose  to  consider  this  question  chemically,  or  from  a 
highly  scientific  standpoint ;  there  is  no  occasion  for  it.  It  is 
well  to  bear  in  mind  that  we  are  considering  the  heating  and 
ventilating  of  a  house  during  cold  weather,  and  not  its  ventilation 
during  the  summer,  when  natural  means  are  to  be  relied  upon. 
Then  it  may  be  asked,  What  is  to  be  done  ?  Primarily  the 
air  should  be  at  the  proper  temperature  at  all  times  ;  it  should 
be  in  its  pure  state,  as  found  on  the  outside  of  the  building,  and 
not  contaminated  with  any  of  the  gases  of  combustion.  It 
should  be  supplied  with  its  proper  equivalent  of  moisture,  at  the 
temperature  at  which  we  find  it  in  the  room.  As  it  becomes 
impure  from  natural  causes,  there  should  be  some  means  of 
effecting  its  withdrawal. 

These  are  the  ideal  conditions.  How  far  do  they  exist  in 
practice  ?  The  temperature  is  ordinarily  high  enough.  The  air 
of  the  room  is  apt  to  be  contaminated  by  the  gases  of  combus- 
tion, and  vitiated  by  breathing  and  otherwise.  Rarely  indeed 
does  it  contain  its  proper  equivalent  of  moisture ;  it  is  dry  and 
parched.  Now  that  we  know  the  conditions  in  their  ideal  state 
and  as  they  exist  in  fact,  we  will  consider  in  detail  what  may  be 
done  to  bring  about  more  satisfactory  results.  If  the  heating 
apparatus  be  a  furnace,  it  should  be  constructed  of  steel  or 
wrought-iron  plate,  the  joints  thoroughly  riveted  and  calked;  or, 
if  of  other  material,  it  should  certainly  be  gas-tight.  Every 
precaution  should  be  taken  to  prevent  the  passage  of  the  air  of 
combustion  from  the  furnace  to  the  warm-air  chambers  and  from 
thence  to  the  rooms  above.  The  furnace  is  nothing  more  or 
less  than  a  large  stove  with  various  radiating  arrangements, 
surrounded  by  an  iron  or  brick  enclosure,  with  a  supply  of  fresh 
air  from  the  outside,  and  with  connecting  tin  pipes  to  the  rooms 
above.     It   is  important  that  the  inner  parts,  the  fire-pot,  the 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  yy 

radiating-  surface,  etc.,  be  thoroughly  well  built  and  gas-tight,  to 
prevent  the  heated  air  from  becoming  contaminated  by  the 
gases  of  combustion.  The  supply  of  outer  air  should  be  ample. 
It  should  be  so  arranged  that  it  can  never  be  entirely  cut  off. 
The  furnace  should  be  of  sufficient  capacity  so  that  means  of 
reducing  the  outer  air  supply  should  not  be  necessary.  How- 
ever, if  such  arrangements  are  made,  they  should  be  limited. 

The  proper  equivalent  of  moisture  should  be  given  to  the 
air  at  the  temperature  at  which  it  reaches  the  room.  It  may  be 
said  that  there  is  a  water-pan  connected  with  every  furnace, 
that  will  do  everything  necessary  in  supplying  moisture.  This 
is  a  mistake.  So  far  as  I  know,  the  furnace  or  other  heating 
apparatus  for  dwellings  has  not  been  constructed  which  is  pro- 
vided with  a  proper  evaporating  apparatus.  The  pan  is  set  in 
the  side  of  the  furnace,  with  an  opening  to  the  outside  into 
which  water  may  be  poured.  It  is  small,  and  has  very  little 
evaporating  surface  on  the  inside.  Oftentimes  the  joints  at  the 
outside  are  so  poorly  made  that  the  cold  air  from  the  cellar  may 
be  drawn  in  over  the  water  in  the  pan,  and  in  that  way  prevent 
its  proper  evaporation.  Winter  air  heated  to  a  summer  temper- 
ature is  dry  and  parched,  whereas  natural  summer  air  contains 
the  proper  amount  of  moisture.  The  outer  air  during  the  winter 
time  has  its  proper  equivalent  of  moisture  for  the  winter  temper- 
ature, which  is  a  much  smaller  amount  than  would  belong  to  it 
at  a  higher  temperature.  Therefore  when  we  take  winter  air 
into  the  furnace  or  other  heating  apparatus,  raise  it  to  a  sum- 
mer temperature,  and  carry  it  into  a  room,  we  have  a  very  dry 
air,  which  seeks  its  equivalent  of  moisture  from  the  occupants 
of  the  room,  from  the  furniture,  carpets,  walls,  ceiling,  and 
everything  in  it.  The  air  will  not  take  additional  moisture 
unless  that  moisture  be  supplied  after  it  has   reached  a  higher 


78  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

temperature.  For  instance,  if  a  spray  or  a  series  of  wet  blankets 
be  arranged  in  the  cold-air  duct,  before  the  air  gets  to  the  fur- 
nace, the  air  will  not  take  the  moisture  from  that  spray  or  from 
the  damp  blankets.  The  moisture  must  be  supplied  after  the 
air  is  heated.  Where  the  water-pan  is  set  on  the  side  of  the 
furnace,  and  where  there  is  a  supply  of  air  through  the  pan  from 
the  cellar,  as  there  frequently  is,  evaporation  is  naturally  retarded 
by  the  cold  air,  as  indicated.  Again,  if  this  pan  be  never  so 
well  protected,  it  is  small,  the  proper  amount  of  evaporating 
surface  is  not  presented.  An  evaporating  pan  or  other  device 
should  be  placed  above  the  fire-pot  and  should  occupy  a  large 
proportion  of  the  area  of  the  heating  chamber.  The  supply  of 
water  should  not  be  dependent  upon  some  one's  attention.  It 
should  be  constant  by  means  of  a  ball-cock  or  otherwise.  It 
should  run  into  or  drip  into  a  shallow  pan,  or  should  be  supplied 
to  sheets  of  felt  or  blanket  so  that  the  air  will  come  in  contact 
with  the  moist  surfaces,  at  the  temperature  at  which  it  is  to  go 
into  the  room.  Thus  it  has  the  proper  amount  of  moisture 
which  belongs  to  it  at  that  temperature.  In  this  way  we  have 
winter  air  from  the  outside  going  into  the  room  at  a  summer 
temperature  and  with  a  summer  equivalent  of  moisture  ;  that  is, 
we  have  summer  air  in  the  winter  time.  People  sometimes 
undertake  to  get  around  this  by  putting  water-pans  in  the  regis- 
ters, but  they  are  rarely  ample.  They  are  neglected,  or  they 
interfere  with  the  supply  of  warm  air,  and  are  abandoned. 

Where  a  furnace  is  already  in  a  house,  or  where  it  is  not 
possible  to  make  elaborate  arrangements  for  providing  the  air 
with  moisture,  there  is  a  very  simple  makeshift  which  is  quite 
effective.  It  consists  in  suspending  in  the  registers  in  the 
floor  small  water  receptacles — a  quart  bucket  answers  every 
purpose  —  in  which  is  placed  a  broad  strip  of  linen.     This  cloth 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  79 

should  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  receptacle  and  be  long  enough 
to  hang  over  and  below  it  for  several  inches.  When  the  bucket 
is  filled  with  water  this  piece  of  cloth  acts  as  a  siphon,  and 
carries  the  water,  a  drop  at  a  time,  into  the  furnace-pipe,  where 
it  is  converted  into  steam.  A  piece  of  old  table-linen  is  the 
best  material  to  use,  for  the  reason  that  it  carries  the  water  fast 
enough,  that  the  heat  from  the  furnace  does  not  dry  it  out 
before  it  can  drop  into  the  pipe  ;  otherwise  the  cloth  becomes  dry 
at  the  end,  and  the  siphonage  ceases.  For  the  same  reason 
it  should  be  broad,  —  about  twelve  inches.  Where  a  moderate 
heat  is  carried  through  the  furnace-pipe,  three  quarts  of  water 
may  be  evaporated  in  this  way  in  twenty-four  hours  from  each 
bucket.  A  bucket  of  the  size  mentioned  does  not  in  any  way 
interfere  with  the  passage  of  heat. 

The  next  point  for  consideration  is  the  means  of  getting  the 
foul,  contaminated  air  to  the  outside.  One  way  is  through  the 
use  of  grates.  Another  is  by  means  of  ducts  in  the  wall,  open- 
ing near  the  floor,  which  draw  the  foul  air  from  the  room  to 
the  outside.  These  should  consist  of  heated  flues,  with  con- 
necting registers  in  the  ceiling  and  floor,  which  may  be  open 
when  necessary.  Under  any  circumstances,  the  grate  is  best. 
Sometimes  the  flue  may  be  heated  by  a  supply  of  warm  air  from 
the  furnace,  or  by  a  steam-pipe  in  case  steam  is  used  for  heat- 
ing the  house.  In  natural-gas  regions,  the  supply  of  additional 
heat  in  a  flue  from  a  furnace  or  by  a  jet  would  be  a  small  matter. 

We  have  mentioned  heating  by  stoves,  grates,  and  furnaces. 
The  same  principles  which  apply  to  the  furnishing  of  fresh  air 
to  a  furnace  may  be  applied  to  a  stove.  The  fact  is,  they  never 
have  been.  A  stove  should  be  made,  and  will  be  made  some , 
day,  that  is  surrounded  on  the  outside  by  a  second  jacket,  the 
space  between  being  connected  with  the  outer  air  by  means  of  a 


80  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

tin  tube  to  the  under  side  of  the  stove.  The  supply  of  cold  air 
could  be  so  arranged  as  to  be  shut  off  when  there  was  no  heat  in 
the  stove.  The  warm  air  would  pass  out  at  the  top  of  the  jacket. 
On  top  of  the  stove  could  be  placed  an  evaporating  pan,  and  the 
supply  of  moisture  come  therefrom.  In  connection  with  the 
stove-pipe,  which  should  be  jacketed,  a  second  ventilating  flue, 
starting  from  the  floor  and  having  an  opening  both  above  and 
below,  could  be  arranged,  and  in  that  way  the  supply  of  fresh 
air  and  withdrawal  of  impure  air  could  be  accomplished. 

Next  we  may  speak  of  steam  and  hot-water  heating.  So 
far  as  a  change  of  air  and  the  ventilation  of  the  room  are  con- 
cerned, heating  by  direct  radiation,  that  is,  by  radiators  placed 
in  the  room,  is  no  better  than  stove  heating.  It  may  be  that 
the  air  is  not  so  severely  parched  by  the  extreme  heat,  also  the 
escape  of  steam  may  contribute  somewhat  to  the  moisture  of 
the  air ;  but  the  escape  of  steam  is  not  agreeable,  and  is  not 
allowed  to  exist  to  any  great  extent ;  —  its  odor  is  not  always 
pleasant.  Certainly  the  addition  of  moisture  to  the  air  by  this 
means  would  be  a  mere  makeshift  and  unsatisfactory. 

Hot-water  coils  act  the  same  as  steam  radiators  in  that  they 
heat  the  same  air  over  and  over  again,  and  are  no  better  than 
stoves,  so  far  as  the  provision  for  fresh  air,  at  proper  tempera- 
ture and  humidity,  is  concerned. 

A  steam  or  hot-water  apparatus,  with  indirect  radiation,  is 
superior  to  furnace  heat  as  ordinarily  provided.  The  means  of 
supplying  moisture  to  an  indirect  steam  apparatus,  as  ordinarily 
constructed,  are  not  convenient.  There  is  a  radiator  for  each  hot- 
air  connection  above,  that  is,  a  radiator  for  each  register,  with 
a  distinct  and  direct  supply  of  outer  air  thereto.  Sometimes 
there  are  two  registers  connecting  with  a  single  radiator.  But 
under  any  circumstances  the  radiators  are  somewhat  separated, 


A  JO  URATE  Y  THR  O  UGH  THE  HO  USE.  8 1 

having-  steam  or  water  connection  with  the  boiler  at  the  proper 
point.  Steam  apparatus  for  public  buildings  has  been  con- 
structed where  the  radiators  have  been  bunched,  that  is,  put 
into  a  single  chamber,  the  air  passing  through  the  chamber 
containing  the  radiators,  where  it  is  heated  to  the  proper  tem- 
perature, and  the  moisture  afterwards  supplied  before  it  enters 
the  room.  Where  this  arrangement  is  used,  there  must  be  con- 
ductors, tin  or  otherwise,  from  the  chamber  to  the  register,  as 
in  the  case  of  a  furnace.  Again,  it  will  be  found  that  the  supply 
of  air  will  not  be  uniform  through  all  of  the  openings  ;  for  in- 
stance, the  register  that  is  farthest  removed  from  the  warm-air 
chamber  may  fail  to  act.  In  this  event,  auxiliary  radiators  may 
be  placed  under  that  register,  and  the  operation  of  the  heating 
apparatus  greatly  facilitated  thereby.  This  plan  is  superior  to  a 
furnace,  and  can  be  -applied  to  hot-water  or  steam  apparatus 
in  dwellings.  The  reason  that  it  is  superior  to  a  furnace  is  that 
the  supply  of  heat  is  more  uniform.  It  does  not  require  the 
constant  firing  or  attention  that  is  necessary  in  the  case  of  a 
hot-air  furnace.  It  may  be  known  that  the  temperature  does  not 
change  with  the  pressure  of  steam  or  in  the  same  proportion. 

There  are  inexpensive  automatic  arrangements  in  connection 
with  furnaces  and  steam  apparatus,  which  control  the  dampers 
and  keep  the  steam  pressure  measurably  uniform,  as  long  as 
there  is  fuel  of  sufficient  quantity  in  the  fire-pot.  The  hot-water 
apparatus  is  more  uniform  in  its  operation  than  steam,  and  for 
that  reason  more  satisfactory. 

A  furnace  plant  is  the  most  inexpensive  apparatus  that  may 
be  used  for  general  heating  ;  the  steam  apparatus  is  next  higher 
as  to  first  cost,  though  no  more  expensive  in  amount  of  fuel 
used.  The  hot-water  apparatus  costs  more  than  steam,  and  is 
somewhat   more   economical    in    the  cost    of  maintenance.      It 


82  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

is  probable  that  a  house  of  moderate  size  can  be  warmed  all 
over  at  a  less  cost,  as  far  as  fuel  is  concerned,  by  a  furnace  or  a 
steam  or  hot-water  heating  apparatus  than  by  stoves  and  grates. 
However,  grates  are  generally  used  in  addition  to  these  for 
the  purpose  of  comfort  and  appearance,  and  for  ventilating. 
Under  such  circumstances,  they  consume  very  little  fuel. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

HEATING     DEVICES     AS     WE     FIND     THEM. FURNACE     ESTIMATES. 

COMBINATION       HOT      AIR       AND       HOT      WATER.  DISH-WARMING 

ARRANGEMENTS. HOW    TO    GET   A    GOOD    HEATING    APPARATUS. 

FOR  the  present,  people  who  build  must  take  things  as  they 
find  them,  and  use  heating  and  ventilating  apparatus  as 
regularly  manufactured.  Experiments  are  uncertain.  The  the- 
ory of  the  proper  heating  and  ventilating  of  a  house  as  set 
forth  in  previous  chapter  is  correct.  The  fulfilment  of  the  ideas 
in  dwelling-house  heating  remains  to  be  practically  worked  out. 
It  is  not  the  business  of  the  architect,  or  the  housewife,  or 
the  owner  of  the  house,  to  work  out  these  mechanical  details. 
It  will  be  done  in  time  by  competent  mechanical  experts. 

In  the  estimates  subsequently  given,  the  furnace  is  the  only 
means  considered  for  general  heating.  However,  this  does  not 
indicate  a  prejudice  in  favor  of  that  particular  method.  The 
furnace  is  considered  and  figured  upon  as  the  ordinary  method 
of  heating  houses  of  moderate  cost.  It  is  the  least  expensive 
plant  to  be  used  for  general  heating.  Indirect  radiation  from 
hot  water  or  steam  is  to  be  preferred  to  a  furnace.  A  combina- 
tion of  a  hot-air  furnace  with  hot  water,  or  steam,  is  used  with 
fair  success.  In  this  case,  a  hot- water  coil  is  placed  in  an  ordi- 
nary furnace,  which  connects  with  hot-water  radiators  in  a  con- 
servatory or  other  room  for  the  purpose  of  contributing  a  uniform 
degree  of  heat  to  that  room.  The  water  supply  is  a  tank, 
located  well  above  the  level  of  the  radiators,  and  connecting 
through  an  inlet  pipe  with  the  coil  in  the  furnace.     The  proper 

S3 


84  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

means  of  supplying  this  tank  with  water  is  through  a  ball-cock 
or  float-cock,  the  float  of  which  opens  the  valve  when  the  water 
o-ets  low  in  the  tank.  Thus  the  supply  is  as  constant  as  the 
source.  A  hot-water  radiator  of  this  kind  may  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  a  device  for  warming  dishes  or  keeping  food  warm. 
The  heat  is  gentle,  uniform,  and  constant.  This  is  a  general 
advantage  of  all  hot-water  heating. 

Aside  from  the  automatic  arrangements  for  controlling  the 
steam  or  water  pressure  in  the  heating  apparatus,  and  thus 
measurably  controlling  the  temperature  in  the  building,  other 
more  positive  automatic  arrangements  are  provided  which  under- 
take to  maintain  any  fixed  temperature.  These  are  proprietary 
devices,  patented  and  advertised. 

Complaints  are  made  of  the  general  inefficiency  of  every- 
thing under  the  sun  :  hence,  furnaces  and  other  heating  appara- 
tus come  in  for  their  share.  An  architect  is  sometimes  asked 
how  he  would  heat  a  certain  building.  He  answers,  "  Hot  water, 
steam,  or  furnace."  —  "Oh,  I  wouldn't  have  steam.  My  uncle 
had  a  steam  plant  in  his  house,  and  they  nearly  froze  to  death 
all  last  winter;  and  they  burned  over  a  ton  of  coal  a  week."  The 
same  things  are  said,  and  truly,  of  every  kind  of  heating  appa- 
ratus made,  when  we  consider  them  in  general  classes.  Gen- 
eral complaints  of  a  similar  nature  are  made  of  everything. 
In  regard  to  the  steam  plant  or  hot-water  apparatus,  or  anything 
else  of  which  this  thing  may  have  been  said,  one  may  first 
acknowledge  its  truthfulness,  and  then  consider  what  it  all 
means.  Something  is  at  fault.  It  may  be  that  the  whole  design 
of  the  apparatus  is  faulty.  The  design  may  be  right,  and  the 
construction  bad.  Everything  else  may  be  right,  but  the  appa- 
ratus too  small ;  or  there  may  be  some  little  defect  which  has  to 
do  with  the  placing  of  the  apparatus  in  the  house.     Sometimes, 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  85 

when  everything  is  in  good  form,  the  apparatus  does  not  receive 
proper  attention  :   hence  trouble. 

It  may  be  asked  how  one  is  to  get  a  good  heating  appa- 
ratus for  a  dwelling-house.  The  first  thing  to  be  determined  is, 
the  particular  kind  to  be  used  :  whether  hot-water,  steam,  or 
hot-air  furnace.  There  are  many  manufacturers  of  the  various 
apparatus,  who  are  regularly  in  the  business.  To  these  may  be 
submitted  plans  of  the  building,  and  a  request  for  estimates  and 
suggestions.  It  is  the  experience  of  an  architect  that  one  who 
is  putting  money  regularly  in  the  manufacture  or  production  of 
anything  will  not  waste  his  energies  for  a  great  length  of  time 
on  a  bad  thing,  if  he  knows  it.  The  evidence  that  an  establish- 
ment has  been  putting  up  good  furnaces  or  other  heating  appa- 
ratus is  long-continued  business  success.  If  the  owner  of  a 
house  writes  to  an  old-established,  wealthy  concern,  and  sends 
his  plans,  he  is  as  certain  to  get  a  reliable  proposition  as  he 
can  be  of  anything.  A  local  agent  of  an  establishment  of  this 
kind  may  misrepresent,  unintentionally  or  otherwise.  The  surest 
way  is  to  go  to  headquarters.  The  local  agent  does  not  always 
know  exactly  what  should  be  done.  A  competent  architect  can 
settle  all  these  matters  for  an  owner.  However,  if  an  architect 
says  there  are  only  one  or  'wo  furnaces  or  heating  apparatus 
which  are  all  right,  he  is  either  ignorant  or  dishonest.  There 
are  many  different  kinds  which  will  give  fair  satisfaction. 

The  idea  in  this  chapter  is  to  take  things  as  we  find  them, 
and  suggest  what  may  be  done.  The  theories  outlined  in  the 
previous  chapter  may  be  correct,  but  they  do  not  amount  to 
anything  to  a  man  who  is  building  to-day.  The  only  purpose  of 
this  chapter  is  to  suggest  to  those  who  are  building  that  they  go 
to  a  first-class  house,  pay  a  fair  price,  and  get  the  best  possible 
apparatus  regularly  in  the  market. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE    HOUSE   AND    ITS    BEAUTY. ARTISTIC    SURROUNDINGS. BEAUTY 

MORE     A    MATTER     OF     INTELLIGENCE     THAN    MONEY. VESTIBULE 

DECORATIONS.  BEAUTY     IN      THE      RECEPTION- HALL.  MANTELS 

AND    GRATES. FRET- WORK   AND   PORTIERES. SPINDLE   WORK. 

SIMPLE    FORMS     OF    GOOD    DECORATION. WOOD-CARVING. DOOR 

AND    WINDOW    CASINGS. A  CONSERVATORY. STAINED    GLASS. 

A  CABINET  ON  THE  MANTEL. TINTED    PLASTERING.  FRESCOING. 

SAFETY      IN      THE      SELECTION     OF     COLORS.  AN     ATTRACTIVE 

SITTING-ROOM.  THE     PARLOR.  A    RECEPTION-ROOM.  PARLOR 

HISTORY. THE  IDEAL    PARLOR. THE     LIBRARY.  A    PLACE     OF 

QUIET  AND    REST. LIBRARY    FURNISHINGS. THE    DINING-ROOM. 

SOCIAL      RELATIONS     OF     THE      DINING-ROOM.  DINING-ROOM 

DECORATIONS.  CONSERVATORY     AND      DINING-ROOM.  A     WOOD 

CEILING. BEAUTY    IN    BEDROOMS. QUIET    AND    LIGHT. 

THE  journey  through  the  house  is  hardly  complete  until  we 
abandon  the  material  view,  and  consider  it  from  the  stand- 
point of  beauty.  As  is  said  in  another  connection,  the  architect 
does  not  do  his  full  duty  in  making  a  house  a  model  of  conven- 
ience and  utility.  The  housekeeper  always  looks  toward  a 
beautiful  home,  something  that  will  be  recognized  for  its  beauty 
and  elegance.  A  house  that  is  beautiful  and  attractive  gives 
pleasure  to  all  who  see  it,  as  well  as  to  the  occupants.  A  beau- 
tiful, artistic  house  is  a  source  of  education  to  the  occupants. 
A  porch  with  clumsy  columns,  rude  mouldings,  heavy  ceiling, 
coarse  details  of  all  kinds,  cannot  but  affect  one's  living.  One 
that  is  fine  in  detail,  generous  in  size,  decorated  in  artistic  spirit, 
must  of  necessity  not  alone  contribute  to  the  comfort  of  those 

S6 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  8? 

who  live  in  the  house,  but  serve  to  lift  them  from  that  which 
is  common  and  ordinary.     People  may  be  surrounded   by  that 
which  is  beautiful  and   artistic,  and  for  a  time  fail  to  realize  its 
true  excellence,  or  the)-  may  be  surrounded  with  that  which   is 
homely   and    crude    without  knowing    the  full    measure    of   its 
ugliness.     The  time  must  come,  however,  when   the  truth  will 
be  realized  to  a  certain  extent.     If  it  is  in  the  direction  of  the 
appreciation  of  what  is  beautiful,  it  must  necessarily  bring  about 
a  higher  state  of  mind.     No  man  can  walk  across  a  front  porch, 
time  after  time,  and  take  hold  of  a  beautiful  door,  without  being 
affected   by  it.     For  this  reason  the  vestibule,  the  front  door, 
and  all  that  belongs  to  it,  should  be  designed  in  a  thoughtful 
spirit,  with  the  idea  that  it  is  the  first  of  all   things   that  will 
impress  those  who  enter  the  house.     There  may  not  be  much 
money   to   put   into   this  door,  but  what    there   is   may  as  well 
bring  something  beautiful  as  something  ugly.    The  same  money 
that  will  make  an  ugly  detail  will  make  a  beautiful,  artistic  one. 
If  the   glass  of  this  door  must  be  inexpensive,   let  it  be  the 
ordinary  cathedral  glass.     Instead  of  being  brilliant  in   color, 
select  a  soft,  mild  tint,  —  a  light  amber  or  a  straw  color.     If 
there  are  divisions  in  the  door  so  that  a  number  of  sheets  may 
be  used,  two  tints  at  most  are  all  that  are  necessary.     It  is  best 
that  they  should  be  quiet  in  tone.     If  money  is  more  abundant, 
and  an  elaborate  stained-glass  design  may  be  had,  put  the  work 
in  the  hands  of  an  artist,  one  who  is  well  known,  and  the  result 
cannot  but  be  satisfactory.     As   to   the  door  itself,  nothing  can 
be  nicer  than  natural  wood,  properly  finished.     The  detail  of  the 
design  should  be  refined  ;  there  should  be  an  avoidance  of  all 
that  is  clumsy  and   heavy.     The   spirit  of  the   interior  may  be 
stamped    upon   this   door.     Where  one  cannot  encompass  the 
expense  of  an  artistically  designed  glass  for  the  door  or  vesti- 


88  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

bule  opening,  a  very  pretty  effect  may  be  secured  by  the  use  of 
a  plain  sheet  of  plate-glass ;  or,  if  desired,  a  slight  additional 
expense  will  give  glass  with  bevelled  edges.  Sometimes  this 
bevelled  glass  is  in  small  squares,  with  leaded  joints.  This 
gives  a  very  simple  and  rich  effect  from  either  side. 

As  one  opens  this  door  and  steps  into  the  vestibule,  there 
may  come  to  his  sight  a  beautiful  mantel  and  grate-fire  in  the 
reception-hall  beyond.  This  is  particularly  beautiful  when 
shown  through  the  folds  of  a  tapestry  curtain  which  separates 
the  vestibule  from  the  reception-hall.  Sometimes  this  vestibule 
is  arranged  so  that  there  is  a  small  window  at  one  side  of  it. 
Nothing  can  be  nicer  than  to  have  this  filled  with  glass,  of  the 
same  general  design  as  that  of  the  door.  The  hooks  for  wraps 
should  be  of  polished  brass,  secured  to  a  natural-wood  strip. 
An  umbrella-stand  of  the  same  material  is  attractive.  The  floor 
is  best  of  hard  wood,  all  but  covered  with  a  heavy  rug.  This  is 
a  pleasant  place  to  stop  a  moment,  with  a  more  beautiful  view 
beyond. 

A  reception-hall  is,  from  an  architectural  standpoint,  the 
easiest  room  in  the  house  to  handle  ;  that  is,  it  can  easily  be 
made  to  look  well.  This  is  because  of  its  connection  with  the 
vestibule,  the  stairway,  the  grate,  often  a  window-seat,  the  large 
openings  into  the  other  rooms,  and  the  portieres  which  go  with 
them.  AIL  these  things  combine  well  to  make  a  pretty  room. 
Stairways,  as  now  designed,  are  much  more  beautiful  than  those 
made  a  few  years  ago.  Then  it  was  a  habit  to  start  at  one  end 
of  the  hall  and  continue  to  the  second  floor  in  a  single  run,  with 
winders  only  at  the  upper  end,  to  change  the  direction  of  the 
movement.  Now  it  is  common  to  have  at  least  two  landings  in 
each  run  ;  oftentimes  there  will  be  only  two  or  three  steps,  then  a 
landing,  from  which  steps  lead  to  another  near  the  top.     At  the 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  89 

beginning  of  the  stairway  there  are  the  newel  posts,  and  at 
each  landing  a  corner  post.  This  arrangement  frequently 
admits  of  the  placing  of  a  seat  along  one  side  the  outer  part 
of  the  lower  landing.  If  not  that,  possibly  one  along  the  side 
of  the  stairway,  below  the  run  of  steps  which  starts  from  the 
lower  landing.  The  space  between  the  railing  and  the  steps  is 
usually  occupied  by  turned  balusters,  though  there  are  many 
forms  of  filling  and  decorating  this  space.  Sometimes  it  is  of 
turned  spindle-work,  scroll-work,  fret-work,  and  squares  or 
panels,  arranged  in  different  forms. 

It  is  not  unusual  to  have  stained-glass  windows  at  each 
landing.  These  windows  are  not  necessarily  large,  and  are 
usually  hung  on  hinges.  Sometimes  a  small  bay-window  pro- 
jection is  made  from  one  or  both  of  these  landings.  In  them 
may  be  placed  seats,  and  in  this  way  add  beauty  and  convenience 
to  the  room.  It  is  quite  usual  to  cover  the  reception-hall  with 
rugs  rather  than  carpets.  The  hard-wood  floor  idea  probably 
had  its  origin  in  the  reception-hall.  If  it  ever  takes  its  depar- 
ture it  will  be  first  from  this  room.  If  a  hard-wood  floor  is  not 
largely  covered  with  rugs  it  requires  a  great  deal  of  labor. 

The  mantel  in  the  reception-hall  should  be  of  wood.  It  is 
pleasant  to  have  the  larger  part  of  the  entire  setting  made  of 
tile.  These  tiles  are  now  made  in  most  beautiful  designs  and 
colorings.  Beautiful  figured  designs  may  be  had,  if  not  for  the 
entire  facing,  for  certain  parts.  It  is  not  uncommon  that  only 
a  narrow  margin  of  wood-work  borders  the  sides  of  a  mantel 
of  this  kind.  The  shelf  and  cabinet  above  may  be  as  ornamental 
as  desired.  No  treatment  of  wood-work  can  add  to  the  beauty 
of  a  large  surface  of  tile  facing.  In  some  instances,  no  shelf 
is  provided  ;  simply  a  bevelled  facing,  with  a  margin  of  wood- 
work, not  over  an  inch  wide,  to  cover  the  joint  where  the  tiling 


90  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

comes  in  contact  with  the  plaster.  The  hearth  should  be  large. 
The  grate  border  is  best  of  brass. 

The  walls  of  the  reception-hall  may  have  a  gray  plaster 
finish,  or  be  tinted  or  papered,  as  desired.  The  picture  mould- 
ing may  come  pretty  well  down  from  the  ceiling ;  certainly  not 
higher  than  the  tops  of  the  doors.  The  part  below  may  be 
tinted  in  one  color,  and  the  upper,  in  another.  The  picture 
moulding  should  always  be  of  the  same  kind  of  wood  as  the 
finish,  and  not  gilded  or  treated  in  any  other  highly  artificial 
manner. 

The  openings  into  other  rooms,  even  where  sliding  or 
hinged  doors  are  used,  are  frequently  filled  a  short  distance 
from  their  top  with  what  is  popularly  called  fret-work.  It  may 
be  fret-work,  pure  and  simple,  or  spindle-work,  or  simply  scroll- 
work. It  is  a  very  pleasing  form  of  ornamentation.  The  cur- 
tains come  below.  In  one  of  the  plans  furnished,  the  entire 
vestibule  is  made  up  of  turned  work,  which,  with  a  curtain,  is 
the  only  separation  from  the  main  hall.  Sometimes  arches  are 
decorated  in  the  same  manner,  and  the  space  between  the  circle 
and  frame  is  filled  with  these  ornamental  forms.  A  very  simple 
way  of  making  screens  is  by  the  use  of  thin  quartered  oak- 
strips,  woven  into  basket  patterns  of  ornamental  form. 

Only  one  general  design  of  door  and  window  casings  is 
shown  in  this  book.  There  is  no  limit  to  the  ornamental  forms 
which  may  be  used  in  decorating  casings  of  any  kind.  During 
recent  years,  many  ladies  have  used  their  energy  and  ability  in 
the  direction  of  wood-carving,  and,  under  competent  instruction, 
have  done  good  work.  For  the  most  part,  the  patterns  are  in 
low  relief.  The  designs  are  frequently  conventionalized,  foliated 
patterns.  In  the  smaller  communities  it  is  hardly  possible  to  get 
good   carving   through    ordinary  channels,  for  the  reason  that 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  QI 

there  is  not  a  sufficient  amount  of  this  kind  of  work  to  be  done 
to  justify  a  high  grade  of  talent  in  occupying  so  unprofitable 
a  field.  It  is  unfortunately  true,  however,  that  very  few  work- 
men who  can  carve  at  all,  but  have  an  idea  that  they  do  this 
kind  of  work  exceedingly  well.  No  matter  how  crude  their 
efforts  may  be,  there  is  no  lack  of  self-appreciation.  They  pro- 
fess to  be  able  to  do  that  of  which  they  are  entirely  ignorant. 
It  is  best  to  be  content  with  the  simple  mechanical  forms 
of  interior  wood-decoration,  unless  there  are  those  of  known  and 
recognized  ability,  who  are  capable  of  executing  the  more  artistic 
patterns. 

Door  and  window  casings  are  made  much  narrower  and  less 
complex  than  was  the  custom  several  years  ago. 

The  sitting-room  of  the  lower  floor  is  more  clearly  defined 
by  the  term  "  living-room."  It  is  a  room  with  much  more  wall 
space  than  the  reception-hall.  It  usually  contains  a  grate  and 
mantel ;  has  a  large  window  to  the  front,  and  one  on  the  side. 
It  is  very  nice  if  one  of  these  windows  can  be  arranged  in  the 
form  of  a  bay,  with  or  without  a  window-seat.  In  the  latter 
case,  it  may  serve  the  purpose  of  a  conservatory  in  the  winter 
and  a  window-seat  in  summer.  The  use  of  large  quantities 
of  stained  glass  in  a  sitting-room  is  objectionable.  It  is  very 
well  to  have  a  certain  amount  of  it  in  the  upper  sash  of  some 
of  the  windows.  If  the  colors  are  mild,  the  effect  upon  the 
atmosphere  of  the  room  is  pleasant  indeed  —  the  light  com- 
ing through  the  soft  amber  or  straw  tints  adds  a  mellowness  and 
richness  to  the  light  of  the  room,  which  is  opposed  to  the  colder 
effects  of  light  which  comes  through  white  glass.  The  mantel 
of  the  sitting-room  may  contain  a  large  number  of  compartments 
in  the  form  of  small  shelves,  brackets,  or  cabinets,  in  which  may 
be  placed  bric-a-brac  of  various  forms.     A  little  cabinet  on  each 


92  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

side  of  a  mantel,  with  a  high  door,  is  a  very  pretty  feature.  A 
mirror  between  these  cabinets  gives  a  pleasing  effect.  This 
mantel,  like  the  one  in  the  reception-room,  should  be  of  wood 
with  tile  hearth  and  facings. 

If  this  room  is  plastered  in  a  gray  finish,  the  walls  may  be 
tinted  in  fresco  colors,  and,  if  desired,  certain  parts  of  it  orna- 
mented by  stencilling  or  otherwise.  Unless  this  ornamental 
work  is  done  by  an  artist  of  recognized  ability,  it  should  be  of 
the  simplest  character.  One  or  two  simple  lines,  or  a  series  of 
short  dashes,  is  much  better  than  scrawling  figures  drawn  by  an 
untrained  hand.  The  ordinary  fresco  done  by  the  foreign 
artist  is  the  ugliest,  most  ungraceful  work  possible.  In  the 
larger  cities,  there  are  usually  a  few  artists  who  do  very  beauti- 
ful work,  but  the  ordinary,  cheap,  conventional  fresco  stuff  is 
barbarous,  Plain  tinted  walls  are  preferable  to  such  glaring 
monstrosities.  There  is  not  much  risk,  if  one  is  careful  in  the 
selection  of  colors  ;  the  palt  above  the  picture  moulding  may  be 
tinted  differently  from  that  below.  There  are  very  few  people 
but  feel  themselves  competent  to  select  colors  for  the  interior 
or  exterior  of  a  house.  The  fact  is,  there  are  very  few  who  can 
do  it  with  any  assurance  of  success.  It  is  well  for  those  who 
have  no  special  training  in  this  line  to  pursue  a  safe  plan  in 
the '  selection  of  tints  for  the  walls  and  ceilings.  This  may  be 
done  by  choosing  different  shades  of  the  same  color  for  use 
in  the  room.  Say  one  begins  with  a  terra-cotta  body  for  the 
part  below  the  picture  mould.  That  above  the  moulding  may 
be  a  lighter  terra-cotta  with  a  tendency  to  a  buff.  Then  the 
ceiling  may  be  lighter  still,  or,  to  be  entirely  safe  under  almost 
any  circumstances,  a  gray  with  a  leaning  towards  the  color  of 
the  wall.  Other  colors  may  be  selected  in  the  same  way.  Very 
light,  vivid  blues  have  frequently  been  selected  for  ceilings,  pre- 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  93 

sumably  because  of  the  supposed  resemblance  to  the  sky.  It  is 
certainly  an  illogical  but  by  no  means  uncommon  thought.  Soft, 
undecided  grays  are  much  pleasanter  to  those  of  quiet  tastes. 
There  may  be  variations  in  it  according  to  the  character  of  the  wall 
decorations  and  surroundings.  If  one  without  special  knowledge 
wishes  something  more  ambitious,  he  should  consult  some  one 
of  acknowledged  ability  in  this  particular  line.  One  cannot  afford 
to  try  experiments.  Extremely  beautiful  wall  decorations  are 
to  be  had  in  wall-paperings,  and,  while  rather  expensive,  are 
entirely  satisfactory  if  carefully  selected. 

Very  little  more  may  be  said  about  the  sitting-room,  except- 
ing to  call  to  mind  that  a  great  deal  depends  upon  the  fittings 
and  furnishings  of  the  room,  which,  however,  should  not  be 
glaring  or  rich.  The  quality  of  everything  may  be  of  the  finest 
and  best,  yet  this  room  should  essentially  be  quieter  in  tone 
than  the  reception-hall  or  parlor,  or  even  dining-room,  which  are 
not  in  constant  use.  Anything  which  is  rich  and  in  any  way 
approaches  the  gorgeous  is  wearisome,  and  directly  opposed  to 
the  idea  of  a  sitting-room. 

The  parlor  may  be  merely  a  reception-room,  —  a  room  where 
a  lady  may  receive  her  callers  in  the  afternoon,  or  the  more 
formal  calls  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  the  evening,  or  it  may 
be  one  room  in  addition  to  the  others  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
house.  It  may  be  the  room  which  adds  capacity  to  the  lower 
floor  during  times  of  general  entertaining.  In  some  cases, 
particularly  where  the  parlor  is  merely  used  as  a  reception-room, 
it  need  not  be  large.  In  such  a  case  it  is  merely  a  place 
separated  from  the  sitting-room,  and  in  which  to  go  for  the 
purpose  of  receiving  friends  in  a  room  somewhat  removed 
from  the  slight  confusion  which  may  legitimately  belong  to 
a  sitting-room.      The  parlor  is  made  distinctive  in  its  appear- 


94  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

ance  from  the  sitting-room  by  its  furnishings.  It  is  not  usual 
to  have  any  great  difference  in  the  design  of  the  wood- 
work in  the  different  rooms  of  the  lower  floor.  Generally 
speaking,  the  doors  are  of  the  same  design,  and  likewise  the 
casings,  base,  etc.  The  parlor  belongs  particularly  to  the  society 
life  of  the  occupants  of  the  house.  It  is  not  generally  a  family 
room.  It  is  removed  from  the  ordinary  home  life  except  in 
so  far  as  the  general  social  conditions  draw  all  together.  The 
parlor,  in  its  connection  with  the  living-rooms  of  the  house,  and 
the  house  itself,  is  entirely  legitimate.  There  is  a  good  deal  of 
sneering  at  the  old  parlor  idea.  This  feeling  has  its  origin  in 
the  memory  of  the  parlors  of  a  few  years  ago,  —  those  which 
contained  the  one  Brussels  carpet,  covered  with  red  and  green 
flowers,  furnished  with  black  hair-cloth  furniture,  chairs  arranged 
around  the  wall  in  military  style,  a  sofa  —  stiff  of  back  and  com- 
manding an  attitude  —  in  a  most  conspicuous  position  ;  walls 
covered  with  coarse-figured,  gilt  paper,  and  rendered  more 
offensive  by  cheap,  family  portraits  in  oil,  and  elaborately  framed 
chromos. 

The  parlor  of  to-day  is  still  a  formal  room  ;  it  does  not 
greatly  differ  from  the  older  one  in  idea ;  it  is  the  execution  of 
the  idea  which  has  changed.  There  is  a  greater  refinement  in 
all  the  details  ;  there  is  an  artistic  spirit  which  pervades  every- 
thing. There  is  harmony  of  color,  quietness  in  tone.  The 
pictures  are  of  a  different  character.  The  furniture  is  graceful 
and  comfortable.  It  is  rarely  separated  from  the  other  part  of 
the  house.  The  doors  leading  into  it  are  nearly  always  open. 
Oftentimes  there  are  only  portieres  of  tapestry  or  lace  to 
separate  this  room  from  the  others  which  lead  to  it.  It  is  a 
room  which  is  made  necessary  by  the  social  life  of  the  time. 

The  ideal  parlor  is  a  long  room,  —  a  large  room.      It  is  long 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  95 

in  proportion  to  its  width.  Sometimes  there  is  an  archway  near 
the  middle,  which  suggests  the  division  of  the  room  into  two 
parts.  There  is  a  mirror  at  the  end,  and,  lending  dignity  to 
the  room,  there  is  the  hall  or  library  at  one  side.  By  its  size,  its 
arrangement,  its  dignity,  it  is  inspiring  to  a  congenial  company. 
This  is  the  ideal  parlor,  and  the  one  of  which  the  vulgarly 
furnished  parlor  of  a  few  years  ago  was  a  corruption.  The 
ideal  parlor  is  shown  in  its  completest  original  form  in  seme 
of  the  old  mansions  of  the  East  and  South.  Some  of  the  old 
Virginia  and  Maryland  houses  carry  out  this  idea  in  the  com- 
pletest way.  In  Natchez,  Miss.,  are  houses  built  long  before  the 
war,  and  designed  by  the  French  architects,  which  contain 
parlors  of  splendid  proportions  and  most  artistic  details.  These 
were  designed  in  the  purest  classic  architecture.  The  ceilings 
were  high,  the  paintings  rich.  All  this  is  somewhat  removed  from 
the  common  idea  of  a  parlor  as  carried  out  at  this  time.  How- 
ever, it  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  lookback  upon,  or,  when  the  oppor- 
tunity and  means  are  at  hand,  a  proper  thing  to  enjoy  in  the  reality. 
The  library,  as  now  understood,  is,  in  the  ordinary  house,  a 
room  for  books,  papers,  and  magazines,  in  which  the  members 
of  the  family  may  gather,  who  have  use  for  that  which  it  con- 
tains. It  should  be  a  room  which  may  be  isolated  from  the 
other  parts  of  the  house ;  a  room  in  which  one  may  study  or 
read  or  write,  and  have  the  quiet  which  belongs  to  such  occupa- 
tions. A  room  which  may  be  used  as  a  passage  from  one  part 
of  the  house  to  another  cannot  be  dignified  by  the  name  ol 
library.  In  such  a  room  there  must  be  quiet.  There  are  very 
few  homes  to  wliich  such  a  room  would  not  be  a  material  and 
practical  addition.  There  are  times  when  nearly  every  one 
desires  the  quiet  and  freedom  from  interruption  which  a  room 
of  this  kind  affords. 


96  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

It  need  not  be  a  large  room,  but  should  contain  all  of  the 
paraphernalia  of  work  :  a  desk,  conveniently  arranged,  book- 
shelves which  are  readily  accessible,  possibly  portfolios  arranged 
along  the  walls,  drawers  with  proper  compartments,  cases  for 
circulars  and  catalogues,  and  other  "  places  for  things."  The 
nicest  thing  about  book-cases  is  the  books.  Ornamental  glass 
doors  and  rich  trappings  add  nothing  to  the  beauty  of  the 
library.  People  who  make  large  use  of  books  do  not  care  to 
have  them  protected  by  glass  cases.  The  other  furnishings  and 
fittings  of  a  library  should  be  quiet  in  tone,  the  chairs  easy  but 
not  rich,  the  carpet  of  a  neutral  color,  the  wall  decorations 
preferably  without  figured  outlines,  the  pictures  small  and  quiet. 
Sliding  doors  between  the  library  and  any  other  room  of  the 
house  are  not  to  be  considered.  Close-fitting  doors  on  hinges 
are  proper.  They  exclude  the  sound.  Sliding  doors  permit  the 
ready  passage  of  sound,  for  the  reason  that  they  are  more  or 
less  open  at  top,  bottom,  middle,  and  sides.  A  low  ceiling  in  a 
library  adds  to  the  quiet  and  restful  effect.  One  may  have  a 
low  ceiling  in  a  library,  even  if  they  are  higher  in  other  rooms, 
by  studding  down  from  above,  —  that  is,  putting  in  a  false  ceil- 
ing. The  expense  is  light  indeed,  and  by  such  means  additional 
protection  from  the  sounds  above  may  be  afforded. 

The  dining-room,  in  many  houses,  is  the  room  in  which  the 
entire  family  is  gathered,  perhaps  for  the  only  time  during  the 
day.  In  this  sense  it  is  an  assembly  room.  There  is  in  this 
busy  country  a  growing  respect  for  the  social  value  of  the 
dining-room.  In  the  family  meetings  at  the  table,  there  may 
be  an  interchange  of  experiences  that  does  not  occur  at  other 
times,  for  the  reason  that  there  is  no  opportunity  for  it.  After 
the  meals  the  members  of  the  family  go  to  their  various  occupa- 
tions, and   probably  do  not  come  together  until   another  meal. 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE.  97 

These  facts  may  be  considered  in  the  planning  of  a  dining- 
room. 

We  have  thought  of  this  room  before  in  its  mechanical 
sense  ;  we  have  looked  at  it  through  housekeeping  eyes.  We 
have  now  to  consider  its  artistic  and  social  features.  We  look 
at  it  as  one  of  the  family  rooms.  It  has  its  shape  or  proportion 
suggested  to  it  from  the  table.  It  is  oblong.  The  light  coming 
into  it  should  be  ample,  but  subdued  in  tone.  It  is  pleasant,  as 
one  enters  a  dining-room,  to  come  into  full  view  of  a  sideboard 
which  is  decorated  with  that  which  belongs  to  this  room  in  a 
utilitarian  way  —  its  china,  cut  glass,  and  beautiful  linen,  than 
which  nothing-  can  be  more  attractive. 

It  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  have  a  conservatory  attached  to  one 
side  or  at  a  corner  of  the  dining-room.  The  odor  of  flowers  or 
plants  may  not  be  agreeable  constantly  in  a  sitting-room.  The 
periodical  occupation  of  the  dining-room  makes  this  pleasant 
rather  than  otherwise.  Most  of  the  plans  which  are  shown  will 
admit  of  the  placing  of  a  conservatory  in  connection  with  the 
dining-room  in  the  manner  indicated. 

The  old  English  dining-room  was  large  in  its  general  propor- 
tions, and  heavy  and  rich  as  to  its  details  ;  it  was  so  large  and 
impressive  that  there  was  an  offshoot  which  took  form  in  a 
breakfast-room.  In  our  homes  at  this  time  we  have  the  com- 
promise. Our  habits  of  living  do  not  demand  the  breakfast- 
room  :  all  come  to  breakfast  together,  and  the  requirement  is 
the  same  as  for  other  meals. 

Where  one  wishes  to  have  a  wood  ceiling  panelled  or  with 
decorated  beams,  the  dining-room,  or  the  hall  connecting  with 
it,  may  be  chosen  as  the  proper  place  to  be  treated  in  this 
way.  Where  expense  is  not  a  great  object,  it  is  agreeable  to 
have  a  large  part  of  the  walls  finished  in  wood.     A  wood  finish 


98  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

one-half  to  two-thirds  the  height  of  the  wall,  and  a  ceiling  of 
wood  above,  with  the  intervening  space  finished  in  rough,  tinted 
plaster,  gives  a  very  pleasing  effect.  Projecting  from  the  top 
of  the  wood  wall-finish  may  be  a  little  shelf  extending,  say,  five 
inches  beyond  the  wall.  It  may  have  a  simple  moulded  edge. 
In  the  top  may  be  cut  grooves ;  on  the  under  edge  may  be 
arranged,  at  regular  intervals,  cup  hooks,  which  may  be  used  in 
part  for  suspending  china,  or,  upon  certain  occasions,  as  a  means 
of  securing  floral  decorations  —  say,  a  little  train  of  ivy  or  smilax. 
On  the  upper  part  of  the  shelf  are  placed  pieces  of  china. 
This  shelf  may  be  placed  in  any  dining-room ;  if  not  around  the 
entire  room,  between  two  windows,  or  between  the  chimney 
breast  and  the  adjacent  wall.  Six  feet  from  the  floor  is  a  good 
height.  If  it  is  not  overloaded,  or  if  the  idea  is  not  generally 
overworked,  the  effect  will  be  very  satisfactory. 

The  coloring  of  a  dining-room  may  be  a  little  heavier  and 
richer  than  that  of  the  other  rooms.  A  very  pretty  feature 
which  may  be  introduced  in  a  room  of  this  kind  is  a  china-closet, 
which  opens  into  the  dining-room  as  well  as  into  the  china-room 
adjoining.  The  dining-room  side  of  the  china-closet  should  be 
glazed  with  clear  glass  above  its  lower  section,  and  the  china- 
room  or  back  side  of  the  china-closet  should  be  glazed  with  cathe- 
dral glass  of  a  semi-transparent  character.  There  are  doors  on 
hinges  on  each  side.  The  drawers  in  the  lower  part,  if  provided, 
open  from  both  sides.  If  doors  are  used  they  should  be 
arranged  in  the  same  way,  so  that  the  lower  shelves  may  be 
approached  from  both  dining-room  and  china-room.  The  glass 
door  on  the  dining-room  side  should  not  come  down  to  the 
shelf  at  the  top  of  the  lower  section,  but  should  be  arranged  to 
leave  an  open  space,  as  is  indicated  in  the  chapter  on  kitchens 
and  pantries.     However,  the  doors  on  the  china-room  side  of 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  99 

this  closet  should  come  down,  so  as  to  cut  off  communication 
between  dining-room  and  china-room  at  will.  This  space  be- 
tween the  upper  and  lower  section  of  the  china-closet  gives 
space  in  which  to  set  a  tray,  and,  by  opening  a  door  on  the 
back,  it  acts  as  a  slide  between  the  china-room  and  dining- 
room.  This  arrangement  is  not  only  very  beautiful,  but  very 
useful.     See  china-closet  plan  Fig.  5,  page  46. 

The  conservatory  mentioned  does  not  need  to  be  in  conven- 
tional conservatory  form,  which  usually  has  cheap  glazing  and 
often  common  wood-work,  but  may  be  a  bay-window  with  more 
than  an  ordinary  amount  of  glass,  preferably  plate. 

The  chambers  and  bedrooms,  in  their  ideal  form  of  arrange- 
ment,  have  an  abundance  of  light  and  sun,  ample  means  for 
ventilation,  and  a  greater  air  of  restfulness  and  airiness  than 
the  rooms  below.  The  carpets  are  in  lighter  tints,  the  walls 
more  nearly  white,  the  windows  not  so  heavily  draped,  the  pic- 
tures and  frames  of  a  lighter  character,  the  chairs  not  so  heavy 
as  those  of  the  other  rooms.  From  a  chamber  it  is  sometimes 
desirable  to  have  a  bay  window  projecting  from  side  or  front. 
It  adds  to  the  availability  of  the  other  floor  space,  affords  addi- 
tional light  and  ventilation.  Nothing  can  be  nicer  than  a  grate 
fire  in  a  bedroom.  It  should  be  surrounded  with  a  wood  man- 
tel, with  tile  facing  and  hearth.  Above  the  mantel  it  is  useful 
to  have  a  short  plate-glass  mirror.  A  dressing-case  takes  its 
proper  place  on  the  side  wall  between  two  windows,  or  in  a  cor- 
ner with  a  window  in  each  wall  adjacent  to  it.  Bedrooms  are, 
for  the  most  part,  lighted  with  brackets  rather  than  central  lights. 
When  attainable,  a  small  dressing-room  adds  to  the  attractiveness 
of  a  chamber. 

In  some  houses  there  may  be  an  alcove,  a  bay  window,  a 
window-seat,  a   conservatory,    or  something  of  this  kind,  from 


IOO  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

every  principal  room.  These  are  features  which  add  to  the 
beauty  and  attractiveness  of  the  house.  While  all  of  these 
things  are  not  possible  in  every  home,  some  one  or  two  of  them 
may  be  attainable.  In  mentioning  the  various  details  which  go 
to  make  the  beauty  of  a  house,  it  is  in  mind  that  all  these  fea- 
tures can  be  taken  into  account  in  but  a  very  small  propor- 
tion of  all  the  houses  that  are  built,  yet  some  one  or  more 
of  them  may  be  used  in  every  house,  and  thereby  add  to  its 
attractiveness. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

EXTERNAL     AND     INTERNAL     DESIGN.  AN    OLD    TOPIC     BEFORE    THE 

PEOPLE. THE  ARCHITECTURAL  STUDENTS  DREAM. A  BEAUTIFUL 

HOME    THE    HOUSEKEEPER'S  AMBITION. IT     COSTS     NO     MORE     TO 

HAVE    A  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL  THAN    UGLY. ARCHITECTURAL   EDUCA- 
TION.   CHARLES      EASTLAKE'S     BOOK.  VULGAR     ARCHITECTURAL 

REVIVALS.  THE     GROWTH    OF    THE    ARTISTIC    IDEA.  BEAUTY   A 

MATTER    OF    REFINEMENT. 

IT  often  happens  when  one  gives  especial  attention  to  a 
particular  branch  of  a  subject  his  neglect  in  other  lines  is 
measured  by  the  depth  of  his  attention  to  the  particular  branch. 
Matters  which  have  to  do  with  the  utilitarian  features  of  house- 
building are  considered  in  this  work  much  more  fully  in  the 
text,  than  has  the  appearance  of  the  buildings.  It  is  desired  that 
this  fact  will  not  lead  any  one  to  believe  that  matters  relating  to 
the  appearance  of  the  exterior  have  been  neglected.  Domestic 
architecture  is  an  old  topic  before  the  people.  It  is  old  in  what 
has  been  said  in  regard  to  the  appearance  of  the  buildings.  The 
subject,  as  a  science  to  the  architect,  is  new  when  considered 
from  the  standpoint  of  convenience.  The  architectural  stu- 
dent's dream  is  not  of  kitchens,  pantries,  closets,  convenient 
and  economical  arrangements  of  floor  space,  but  is  principally 
of  large  public  buildings,  libraries,  court-houses,  and  cathedrals. 
When  he  descends  to  dwelling-houses,  it  is  of  something  unique, 
or  odd,  —  something  that  is  pretty  or  rich.  When  it  relates  to 
details,  it  is  hallways  that  are  peculiar  in  their  beauty,  parlors 
and   sitting-rooms    that    are   full   of  odd    conceits.     There  has 


102    .  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

been  a  tendency  toward  strange  things  during  recent  years. 
Matters  of  this  kind  have  fed  the  fancy  of  many  architects. 
The  housekeeper  has  been  neglected. 

Nothing  attracts  more  attention  than  a  beautiful  house.  It 
is  a  pleasure  to  every  one.  It  is  as  important  to  have  a  house 
beautiful  as  it  is  that  it  should  be  convenient.  The  same  educa- 
tion and  thoughtfulness  that  will  enable  an  architect  to  design  a 
convenient  house  will  make  it  beautiful.  No  one  can  be  con- 
scientious in  the  consideration  of  the  comfort  of  the  house- 
keeper and  neglect  the  smallest  detail  leading  to  the  beauty  of 
the  house.  The  housekeeper  lives  in  the  hope  of  having  a 
beautiful  home.  It  has  been  the  purpose,  in  writing  this  book, 
to  bear  all  this  in  mind,  and  to  add  the  element  of  convenience 
to  what  has  been  said  and  done  by  others  toward  making  beau- 
tiful houses. 

It  costs  no  more  to  have  a  house  beautiful  than  to  have  it 
ugly.  Beauty,  like  convenience,  is  largely  a  matter  of  thought- 
fulness  and  education.  The  only  excuse  for  ugliness  in  house- 
building is  ignorance.  The  student  of  architecture  has  had 
a  great  deal  done  for  him.  And,  in  considering  that  which 
has  to  do  with  appearance,  he  has  only  to  accept  the  advantages 
of  the  best  architectural  schools  and  offices.  Without  these  he 
cannot  expect  to  succeed.  To  be  a  designer  of  beautiful  houses, 
one  must  have  had  the  same  special  training  and  advantages 
that  are  necessary  for  success  in  other  lines  of  professional  work. 
A  physician  must  know  the  history  of  his  profession,  aside  from 
the  more  formal  knowledge  which  leads  him  through  his  prac- 
tice. It  is  the  same  way  with  the  student  of  architecture.  The 
successful  designer  of  a  small  cottage  will  do  better  from  having 
a  knowledge  of  the  history  of  early  architecture.  Such  a  knowl- 
edge is  indispensable,  in  order  to  reach  the  best  results.     One 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  HOUSE. 


IO 


who   has   made  a  study  of  Greek  architecture   is    much  better 
equipped  to  design  a  beautiful  low-cost  cottage,  of  four  or  five 
rooms,  than  one  who  has  not  availed  himself  of  these  advan- 
tages.    He  will  make  a  better  house  for  the  same  money.     He 
will   do   better  work  with   simpler   means.       To    take    another 
illustration  :  We  may  suppose  that  an  architect  has  a  porch  to 
desio-n   and  that  the  owner  of  the  house  does  not  have  a  great 
deal  of  money  to  put  in  it.     There  are  four  turned  columns,  a 
cornice,  with  a  rafter  finish,  and  underneath,  a  space  in  which 
may  be  inserted  a  small  band  of  inexpensive  scroll-work.     A 
knowledge  of  the  earlier  architecture  comes   to  his  assistance 
in    a   wonderful    way.      For   the    turning   on    the  columns   the 
architect  may  select  that  from  a  column  of  the  early  English 
Gothic    architecture    of    the    fourteenth    century.      These    are 
simple  profiles,  which  can  be  turned  at  no  greater  cost,  if  the 
drawing  is  furnished,  than  some  crude,  modern  invention  of  the 
turner  or  an  uneducated  designer.     For  the  jig  or  scroll  saw 
work,  he  can  arrange  figures  from  some  of  the  earlier  ornamen- 
tal forms  of  the  same  period,  and  by  drawing  them  full  size  the 
scroll-sawyer  can  reproduce    a   beautiful   design,  which    has    a 
history,  with  no  more  labor  than  he  would  give  some  corrupted 
design  which  has  filtered  through  the  minds  of  careless  house- 
builders.     For  his  rafter  feet,  this  designer  will  have  no  difficulty 
in  recalling  some  simple  form  which  has  had  a  refined  develop- 
ment.    This  same  line  of  procedure  can  be  followed  in  all  details 
of    house-building,  and  not  add  one  dollar  to  the  cost  of  the 
structure.     At    the    same    time  it  brings   about  most  beautiful 
results,  —  the  results  of  successful  experience. 

It  may  be  said  again  that  it  takes  no  more  money  to  make  a 
beautiful  detail  —  one  which  has  been  the  development  of 
experience  and  refinement  — than  it  does  something  which   is 


104  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

clumsy  and  coarse.  It  requires,  however,  a  knowledge  of  what 
has  been  done,  —  a  knowledge  of  the  history  of  design.  It 
requires  the  faculty  of  using  intelligently  the  results  of  the  past, 
not  merely  as  they  originally  existed,  but  in  their  adaptation  to 
the  wants  and  conditions  of  the  present. 

Several  years  ago  Mr.  Charles  Eastlake  wrote  a  book 
entitled  "  Hints  on  Household  Taste."  The  book  accomplished 
a  great  deal,  by  merely  leading  people  to  think.  To  this  day 
there  are  a  great  many  architectural  features  which,  in  the 
builder's  parlance,  go  under  the  name  of  "  Eastlake  "  designs. 
There  are  so-called  Eastlake  doors,  Eastlake  frames,  etc.  In 
truth,  Mr.  Eastlake  had  little  to  say  about  architecture  in  a 
distinctive  sense,  and  many  evil  things  have  been  perpetrated  in 
his  name.  The  best  thing  that  Mr.  Eastlake  did  was  to  teach 
people  that  the  furniture  and  other  things  which  they  had 
around  them  could  be  beautiful  and  not  expensive.  That  it  was 
not  necessary  to  have  a  chair  or  a  piece  of  wood-work  loaded 
down  with  something  called  ornament,  in  order  to  be  beautiful. 
After  this  people  lost  confidence  in  the  furniture  manufacturer, 
and  did  not  depend  solely  on  the  price  of  his  wares  as  a  measure 
of  their  elegance  or  attractiveness.  This  was  the  sole  work  of 
Charles  Eastlake,  with  the  masses  of  the  people.  He  was  a 
missionary  in  his  way.  A  man  of  no  particular  knowledge  in 
regard  to  architecture  or  design,  yet  one  who  was  the  means  of 
doing  a  great  deal  for  architecture.  He  taught  people  to  look 
for  beauty  in  simple  things. 

After  a  time  came  a  certain  something  in  domestic  architec- 
ture  which  was  designated  as  the  "  Queen-Anne"  style.  We  all 
know  what  it  is,  yet  it  is  difficult  to  describe.  The  veritable 
Oueen-Anne  architecture  meant  something1 ;  the  "  Oueen- 
Anne"  architecture  of  a  few  years  ago  meant  anything  —  partic- 


A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE   HOUSE.  1 05 

ularly  something  that  was  pointed,  erratic,  and  unusual.  It, 
however,  did  a  good  work.  It  enabled  the  architects  to  get  out 
of  the  old  beaten  paths.  A  great  many  beautiful  houses  were 
built,  which,  by  the  public,  were  said  to  be  in  this  style.  The 
name  "  Queen  Anne"  was  the  vehicle  for  the  passage  from  an 
old  conservatism,  which  had  to  do  only  with  the  commonplace, 
to  something  which  was  fresh  and  attractive.  In  this  way  a 
great  many  beautiful  houses  were  built  during  this  so-called 
Queen-Anne  revival. 

More  recently  there  has  been  a  movement  toward  the  revival 
of  the  old  colonial  architecture  —  a  style  that  was  developed  by 
a  class  of  educated  builders  among  the  earlier  settlers  of  this 
country.  Their  knowledge  was  particularly  of  classic  architec- 
ture of  the  period  of  the  Italian  renaissance.  A  great  many 
strange  and  unusual  things  are  being  perpetrated  in  the  name 
of  old  colonial  architecture  at  this  time.  At  the  same  time,  a 
great  deal  that  is  beautiful  and  refined  is  being  built  in  this 
style.  In  the  work  of  the  very  recent  period  which  has  to  do 
with  this  architecture,  one  may  find  a  great  deal  of  encourage- 
ment. It  shows  a  decided  re-action  from  the  extravagant  crude - 
ness  of  the  so-called  Queen-Anne  architecture,  and  in  the  end 
we  will  reach  something  that  is  rational  and  beautiful. 

Thus  it  is  to  be  seen  that,  in  whatever  lines  architecture  is 
moving,  we  shall  find  good  work ;  that  it  is  not  so  much  the 
style  that  it  is  named,  as  the  resources  of  the  designer: 
resources  which  have  to  do  with  his  education,  and  his  disposi- 
tion to  select  that  which  is  fine  and  beautiful  —  the  sense  which 
leads  him  to  discriminate. 


:£JraR 


PLANS   OF   FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

EVOLUTION     OF    A    HOUSE-PLAN. RESPECTABLE     DIMENSIONS    FOR    A 

MODERATE  PRICE. SIX  PLANS. COSTS,  FROM  $1,500  TO  $2,600. 

THE  number  of  times  that  a  house  has  been  built  indicates 
the  popularity  of  the  plan.  Plan  No.  I,  in  one  form  or 
another,  has  been  used  oftener  than  any  other  in  the  book. 
Plans  Nos.  1,2,  and  3  are  more  frequently  selected  by  people 
who  do  not  keep  a  servant.  This  arrangement  makes  a  compact 
and  low-cost  house.  There  is  a  porch  over  which  the  small 
front  bedroom  extends  on  the  second  story.  In  Plan  No.  1  the 
hall  is  seven  and  one-half  by  ten  feet.  There  is  a  corner  grate 
for  the  living-room  and  the  parlor.  A  stove  might  be  used  in 
the  dining-room  in  a  way  to  moderate  the  temperature  of  the 
entire  lower  floor. 

There  is  one  very  large  window  opening  into  the  dining- 
room.  It  is  a  very  pleasing  thing  to  have  the  upper  sash  of  the 
dinino--room  glazed  with  simple  colors  of  cathedral  glass.  This 
glass  gives  a  very  pleasant  tone  to  the  light  of  the  room,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  excludes  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun  in  summer.  It 
is  possible  to  dispense  with  outside  shutters  when  cathedral 
glass  is  used  in  the  upper  sashes.  A  metal  rod  running  across 
the  window  on  the  inside,  on  a  level  with  the  horizontal 
dividing-rail  of  the  window,  may  be  made  to  carry  curtains 
which  will  exclude  the  view  from  the  outside.  Thus,  in  the 
glass,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  curtains,  we  have  much  that  might 

be  expected  from  the  shutters. 

109 


I  IO 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


There  is  a  china-pantry  between  the  kitchen  and  dining-room. 
It  is  lighted  by  a  small  window  at  one  side.  It  serves  as  a  pas- 
sageway between  these  two  rooms,  and  thus  keeps  the  odor  of 
the  cooking  from  the  front  part  of  the  house.  The  pastry 
pantry  is  immediately  back  of  the  china-pantry,  and  is  entered 


b       d 


^P  LJ 


P\Kob 


"f°cn^ol2.£^ 


Plap  No.  1. 


V™T*ffl     f° 


L_/ivni9d"P\i2? 


bs-d  l=^p? 


>     Jl 


<} 


p      '-£ 


ei 


_,      I3X.FO. 


i+xi-*6'   v 


2.19CJ  FHoai- 


from  the  kitchen.  It  is  also  provided  with  a  small  window.  In 
the  kitchen  is  a  sink  with  a  swinging  table  at  one  side,  and  room 
for  a  portable  table  on  the  other.  At  one  side  of  the  sink  may 
be  the  cistern-pump,  and  on  the  other  side  the  well-pump. 
It  should  be  placed  back  against  the  wall,  and  with  handles 
that  are  well  out  of  the  way  when  not  in  use. 

It  is  entirely  unnecessary  to  place  the  pumps  in  the  yards  of 
low-cost  houses,  as  is  so  common.     If  a  driven  well  is  used,  it 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


II I 


could  be  driven  so  as  to  be  next  to  the  kitchen  sink.  If  it  is  a 
dug  well,  it  may  be  placed  on  the  outside,  and  connected  through 
lead  pipes  with  the  sink  on  the  inside.  The  cistern  may  be 
connected  in  the  same  way.  The  entrance  to  the  cellar  stairs 
is  conveniently  placed  in  one  corner  of  the  kitchen.     The  cellar 


*'£ 


7? 


/  U.XI2.6" 


!□  lj  p| 


X)n7irxfP\rp       v3^fcno<3~F\5Qjr 


1  r'7 


"T15TI. 


K36"Xl-f- 


ml 


/fkn-~ch. 


retFTloar 


C^O^?Io0T" 


ioxp 


^polF^ooi^ 


itself  is  under  the  sitting-room.     The  side-porch  is  large  enough 
to  be  used  as  a  summer  kitchen. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  that  there  is  no  waste  room  in  the  upstairs 
hall.  There  is  merely  wall  space  enough  to  admit  of  doors 
leading  into  the  various  rooms.  There  is  a  small  window  which 
lights  this  hall ;  the  window  may  be  reached  for  cleaning  from 
the  stairway.  This  plan  illustrates  as  clearly  as  possible  the 
advantage  of  having  the  main  stairway  land  in  the  middle  of 


I  12 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


the  house.  There  is  no  better  way  to  economical  use  of  space. 
From  the  second-floor  hall  there  is  a  stairway  leading  to  the 
attic.  This  passage  is  lighted  in  the  same  way  as  the  second- 
floor  hall. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  bedrooms  of  this  house  are  not  large. 
The    house   is  not  large.      The  problem   involved   a  low-cost, 

Piap  |^o.  3. 


u= 


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GC 


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taxj-AKf-' 


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TddD 


JzbeclT^p;? 


IP 


l^L 


en 


3TO 


ri 


j=]    Cylpc^bc^: 


li 


ci 


JEbecTF^)? 


-rat.1- Mocr»— : 


b 


jx: 


o?d  FHocrr-. 


roomy  house.  We  get  a  large  number  of  rooms  within  a  small 
enclosure,  and,  necessarily,  some  of  them  are  small.  It  is 
to  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  the  value  of  a  room  is  not 
dependent  upon  its  size.  A  room  may  be  of  respectable  dimen- 
sions, but  yet  not  have  the  necessary  wall  space  for  the  furniture. 
Such  a  room  would  not  be  as  satisfactory  as  a  smaller  one,  had 
care  been  taken  to  provide  this  space.  In  each  bedroom  there 
should  be  space  for  a  bed,  a  wash-stand,  and  a  dressing-case. 
The  latter  should  be  near  a  window.     It  will  be  found  that  there 


FLAXS    OF  FIFTY  COXVEXIEXT  HOUSES. 


"3 


is  room  for  such  furniture  in  each  of  the  bedrooms  shown  on 
this  plan.  All  are  provided  with  ample  closets.  In  one  of  these 
houses  which  was  built,  there  was  a  door  between  the  bedroom 
in  front  and  the  chamber.  In  another  case,  there  was  a  door 
connecting  the  two  larger  rooms.  All  these  things  are  matters 
of  personal  preference,  or  special  family  requirements,  depend- 


Plan   No.  4. 


lived-  akats 

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f6x\CS 


'Par^p 


M 


en— 


■rcte-F^locn-. 


rr- 


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j-ect. 


EJDG 


\<$s*.*y 


ctl 


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C'bcxiopbaTr-  |q 


xpd  F^Tg'ot- 


ing  upon  the  age  and  number  of  the  children,  and  other  family 
conditions. 

Plan  No.  2  is  similar  to  No.  1,  excepting  that  there  are  a  few 
changes  in  detail.  The  rooms  are  smaller  ;  the  hall  is  relatively 
shorter  ;  it  illustrates  the  process  of  contraction.  No.  3  is  simi- 
lar to  No.  2,  excepting  that  it  has  a  front  as  well  as  a  rear  stair- 
way, and  the  position  of  the  dining-room  is  changed. 


ii4 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


No.  4  is  a  development  of  the  same  class  of  plans.  There 
are  the  front  and  the  rear  stairways,  also  a  bath-room  over  the 
kitchen,  and  a  servant's  room.  The  dotted  lines  running 
through  the  little  bedroom  on  the  second  floor  indicate  the 
position   of  a  hall,  which   may  be  constructed  connecting  the 


jj=s    Plop  No.  5 


<2.T2cl  Floor 


front  and  rear  part  of  this  house.     As  will  be  noticed,  this  is  a 
nine-room  house  in  a  very  economical  form. 

Plan  No.  5  is  a  further  development  and  improvement  of  the 
same  idea.  The  objection  that  one  may  raise  to  any  of  the  plans 
just  described  is,  that  one  has  to  pass  through  the  parlor,  or  the 
room  in  the  rear  of  the  hall,  to  reach  the  room  back  of  the  par- 
lor. Plan  No.  5  solves  this  problem.  From  the  hall  we  can  go 
into  the  living-room,  the  dining-room  or  parlor,  without  passing 
through  another  room.     The  second   floor  is  an   improvement 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


IJ5 


over  No.  4,  in  that  the  little  bedroom  in  the  rear  is  enlarged  by 
allowing  it  to  project  over  the  room  below  the  width  of  the  hall. 
In  the  rear  of  this  comes  the  bath-room. 

As    to    cost.     The  building,  without  appurtenances,  on  the 
basis  outlined  in  schedule  "  B,"  would  cost  as  follows :  — 


^Plar}No6 


23pd  f^loar: 


Plan  No.  1,  $1,700;  No.  2,  $1,550;  No.  3,  $1,550;  No.  4, 
$1,800;  No.  5,  $1,900.  Figures  8  and  9  are  elevations  suited 
to  these  plans. 

Plan  No.  6  had  its  origin  in  Plan  No.  1 ,  and  was  developed 
through  the  successive  stages  indicated  in  the  description  of 
plans  from  1  to  5  inclusive.  The  position  of  the  grate-stack  has 
been  changed,  so  that  it  acts  for  the  reception-hall  on  one  side, 
and    the    parlor  on    the    other.     The    reception-hall,  instead   of 


n6 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


receding,  projects.  In  one  corner  thereof  is  arranged  a  vesti- 
bule, partitioned  from  the  rest  of  the  rooms  by  ornamental 
fret-work  backed  with  curtains.  This  will  make  a  very  beau- 
tiful feature.  It  changes  this  hall  into  a  room.  From  here  we 
may  pass  to  the  parlor,  sitting-room,  and  dining-room.  In  the 
rear  of  the  sitting-room  is  a  porch ;  at  one  side,  a  projecting 
window-seat.  The  sitting-room  closet  is  cut  off  from  the  pantry. 
The  dining-room  is  connected  with  the  sitting-room  by  sliding- 


r^VoiQic. 


y     ;     l 


doors.  A  convenient  china-closet  connects  the  dining-room 
and  kitchen.  On  one  side  of  the  china-room  are  arranged 
drawers.  Under  the  china-closet  proper  are  shelves  enclosed 
by  panelled  doors ;  the  china-shelves  above  being  protected  by 
glass  doors,  according  to  the  general  ideas  previously  expressed 
when  considering  the  china-closet  in  particular.  The  kitchen  is 
the  same  as  others,  which  are  described  elsewhere  in  a  more 
detailed  way.  There  is  a  laundry  in  the  basement,  and  an  out- 
side  cellar-way  connecting  with    the    back   yard.      The    inside 


PLANS    OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


117 


cellar-way  is  shown.  The  next  door  is  that  which  leads  to  the 
second  floor.  There  are  five  bedrooms  on  this  floor.  The  ele- 
vation of  this  house  is  shown  in  Fig.  No.  11.  The  building, 
without  appurtenances,  according  to  schedule  "  B,"  costs  $2,600. 

Elevations  Nos.  1  and  2  indicate  a  simple  form  of  exterior, 
which  may  go  with  either  of  these  plans  excepting  No.  3. 

The  photographic  view,  Fig.  No.  10,  shows  an  exterior  of 
No.  1,  as  built  at  one  time. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

A    SMALL     POCKET-BOOK    AND    A    LARGE    IDEA.  AMBITION,  DOLLARS, 

AND      A     GOOD     HOUSE. THE     GROWTH     OF    THE    HOUSEKEEPER'S 

IDEAS. POINTS    ABOUT   THE    HOUSE. $2,QX)0. 

IT  is  frequently  said  of  those  who  would  build,  that  their  ideas 
are  larger  than  their  pocket-books.  It  is  certainly  not  dis- 
creditable to  any  one  that  his  ideas  should  be  larger  than  his 
immediate  resources.  Such  a  condition  causes  the  enlargement 
of  the  individual  and  his  pocket-book  at  the  same  time.  The 
man  who  says  that  he  wants  two  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
house  does  not  get  as  much  for  his  money  as  he  who  in  effect 
says,  "  I  want  three  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  house  for  two 
thousand  dollars."  The  latter  is  an  ambitious  man  ;  the  former 
has  only  a  little  ambition.  He  merely  wants  a  house.  Fortu- 
nately, however,  there  are  few  such  people.  It  is  more 
likely  to  happen  that  a  man  and  his  wife,  who  have  worked 
hard  for  several  years,  get  enough  money  together  to  build  a 
home,  and  it  is  possible  that  this  home  has  been  talked  about 
for  several  years  previous  to  their  building.  In  fact,  they  have 
been  educating  themselves  in  house-building.  They  have 
acquainted  themselves  with  all  of  the  modern  conveniences. 
They  have  studied  porches,  vestibules,  and  stairways  ;  they  know 
how  many  rooms  they  want  on  the  first  floor  and  the  bedrooms 
that  they  will  have  above.  At  first  this  house  presents  itself  in 
a  very  crude  form  ;  but  in  the  course  of  time  the  plan  shows 
itself  more  clearly  to  them.     They  begin  to  place  the  furniture 

nS 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES.  1 19 

in  the  imaginary  rooms,  and  as  they  do  this  their  ideas  enlaro-e. 
They  add  at  first  inches,  and  then  feet,  to  the  size  of  the  various 
rooms.  At  first  their  ideas  of  a  kitchen  were  quite  moderate  ; 
in  time  a  sink  begins  to  assume  certain  vague  outlines,  then  it 
takes  definite  form  on  one  side  of  the  room  ;  then  a  pump  is 
placed  beside  it ;  afterward  the  wife  says,  "  How  nice  it  would 
be  if  we  could  have  a  hot-water  faucet  over  the  sink."  At  first 
they  shake  their  heads  and  say  that  it  would  cost  too  much  ;  but 
in  the  course  of  a  few  evenings'  talk  on  this  and  kindred 
subjects,  they  come  to  the  conclusion  that  if  the  hot-water 
arrangements  do  not  cost  too  much,  they  will  have  them ;  and 
that  as  things  are  so  much  cheaper  than  they  used  to  be,  they 
certainly  ought  to  get  all  of  these  for  about  what  they  originally 
expected  to  pay  for  the  house.  Their  ideas  have  been  of  slow 
growth,  but  continuous,  and  in  the  aggregate  the  growth  has 
been  great.  During  all  the  winter  months,  previous  to  the 
time  when  they  would  build  in  the  spring,  many  sketches  are 
made,  of  the  floor-plans  of  the  house  that  is  to  be.  Finally 
the  net  result  is  handed  to  a  builder  or  an  architect,  —  more 
frequently  the  former,  as  most  small  houses  are  built  without 
professional  service.  The  figures  from  the  builder  come  in, 
and  are  very  much  higher  than  was  expected.  It  is  quite  a 
shock,  for  certainly  there  is  nothing  there  that  they  can  well  do 
without.  Everything  has  been  thought  of  so  much.  Nothing 
that  their  plan  contains  appears  to  them  to  be  less  than  a  matter 
of  necessity.  Other  builders  are  asked  to  figure  with  results 
little  more  satisfactory.  In  the  end  there  must  be  a  compromise; 
the  builder  and  the  owner  both  yield,  and,  as  a  result,  a  very 
satisfactory  house  is  built.  There  are  little  things  which  they 
would  have  different,  but,  in  the  main,  the  house  is  satisfactory. 
This   is  the  universal  experience,  and  the   effect  upon  the 


120  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

domestic  architecture  of  this  country  has  been  very  pronounced. 
YVe  can  now  get  a  better  house  for  a  given  sum  of  money  than 
ever  before.  Better  not  only  as  to  general  construction,  but  as 
well  on  account  of  external  appearance,  and  the  convenience  of 
its  internal  arrangements.  One  may  get  more  of  what  are 
regarded  as  the  little  conveniences,  which  mean  so  much  to  the 
housekeeper.  This  is  not  altogether  the  result  of  lower  prices 
of  the  material  and  labor  which  £o  to  make  a  house,  but  is  as 
well  on  account  of  the  skill  which  has  been  developed  in  plan- 
ning and  arranging  buildings,  with  reference  to  economy  in 
space,  and  cost  of  general  construction.  The  planning  of 
houses  has  undergone  a  revolution  within  a  few  years  past ;  and 
instead  of  having  the  long,  narrow  halls  at  the  side  and  in  the 
middle  of  a  house,  and  the  long  halls  and  narrow  passages 
through  the  upper  floor,  all  of  which  was  ugly  and  inconvenient, 
we  now  have  the  same  area  thrown  in  large  square  rooms,  so 
as  to  be  available. 

It  may  be  known  that  chimney  stacks  are  quite  expensive. 
For  this  reason  an  effort  has  been  made  to  group  them,  so  that 
they  may  be  made  to  answer  for  a  number  of  rooms  ;  and  the 
success  with  which  efforts  in  this  direction  have  been  attended 
has  been  wonderful  indeed.  The  modern  floor  plan  is  altogether 
different  from  that  of  the  past ;  it  is  more  convenient  and  less 
expensive  to  build  ;  and,  as  said  before,  this  is  largely  the  result 
of  efforts  of  the  owner,  who  has  ideas  larger  than  his  pocket- 
book,  and  the  architect  or  builder,  who  exercises  his  ingenuity 
to  bring  the  ideas  and  the  money  together. 

Plan  No.  7  is  of  an  eight-room  house,  and  is  fairly  represent 
tative  of  the  ideas  expressed.  The  general  form,  it  will  be  seen, 
is  square.  It  is  a  two-story  house  with  a  reception-hall,  parlor, 
dining-room,  kitchen,  china-closet,  pantry,  and  stair-hall  on  the 


FLANS    OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


121 


first  floor ;  there  are  three  chambers,  the  servant's  bedroom, 
the  bath-room,  and  a  communicating  hall  on  the  second  floor. 
The  first  floor  is  ten  feet  six  inches  high,  and  the  second,  nine 
feet  six  inches.  From  the  second  floor  there  is  a  stairway  going 
to  the  attic,  which  is  large  and  roomy,  and  which  may  have  vari 
ous  uses.  The  cellar  is  seven  feet  high,  and  is  well  lighted  by 
having  the  joist  set  well  up  from  the  grade  line.     There  may  be 


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a  laundry  here,  and,  separated  from  it  by  a  door,  we  may  have  a 
coal- cellar  and  a  furnace-room.  As  we  approach  the  house, 
there  is,  first,  a  broad  porch  about  eight  feet  in  width,  and 
fourteen  feet  in  length.  At  a  slight  additional  expense,  say  fifty 
dollars  to  sixty  dollars,  this  porch  might  be  extended  across  the 
entire  front.  Before  reaching  the  front  door,  there  is  a  small 
vestibule,  —  arranged  with  or  without  storm-doors,  as  may  be 
thought  desirable.  It  is  the  impression  of  the  writer  that  storm- 
doors  are  seldom  used.     The  distinctive  feature  of  this  house  is 


122  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

the  hall,  which  is  large  enough  —  thirteen  feet  six  inches  by  fif- 
teen feet  —  to  be  used  as  a  sitting-room.  In  the  front  part  of 
this  hall,  and  at  the  right  as  we  enter,  are  a  window-seat  and  a 
broad  window  in  front  and  immediately  above  it ;  this  is  slightly 
separated  from  the  main  room  by  the  small  pilasters  or  casings 
on  each  side.  Immediately  in  front  of  the  doorway,  there  are  a 
grate  and  mantel  set  in  one  corner  of  the  room.  There  are  large 
doorways,  five  feet  wide,  leading  into  the  stair-hall  immediately 
back  of  this  room,  and  into  the  parlor  at  the  left  as  we  enter. 
In  this  case  there  are  merely  door  openings,  portieres  or  cur- 
tains taking  the  place  of  ordinary  doors.  Sliding-doors  might 
be  used  in  addition  to  the  curtains,  and  thus  have  the  advantage 
of  both  curtains  and  doors.  From  this  room  the  outlines  of  the 
stair-hall  and  the  stairway  are  visible  or  not,  according  to  the 
arrangement  of  the  portieres.  There  is  a  side  entrance  into  this 
hall,  and  from  it  one  may  go  into  the  kitchen  by  passing  through 
two  doors.  It  is  a  good  principle  in  planning  a  house  always  to 
have  two  doors  between  the  kitchen  and  any  other  part  of  the 
house.  One  door  could  as  well  be  used  in  this  instance,  but 
a  second  one  is  added  to  make  the  isolation  more  complete. 
In  the  plan  here  given,  it  may  be  noticed  that  there  are  cellar 
stairs  passing  under  the  main  stairway  in  the  hall. 

The  dining-room  may  be  entered  either  from  the  front  par- 
lor or  from  the  stair-hall.  In  each  case  doors  are  used.  It  is 
always  desirable  to  have  a  dining-room  so  arranged  that  it  may 
be  closed  from  the  other  parts  of  the  house.  There  is  a  grate 
in  each  of  the  two  principal  rooms,  the  hall,  the  parlor,  and  the 
dining-room,  and  all  communicate  with  a  single  stack.  This  is 
much  more  economical  than  having  three  distinct  stacks,  which 
are  so  frequently  used  for  accomplishing  the  same  result.  The 
only  other  chimney  stack  is  in   the   kitchen.     The   two  answer 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES.  1 23 

every  purpose.  The  outside  corners  of  the  dining-room  are  cut 
off  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  so  that  the  end  of  the  dining- 
room  presents  the  form  of  a  large  bay  window.  In  the  middle 
space  at  this  end  may  be  placed  the  sideboard,  in  which  event 
a  window  will  be  placed  over  it,  —  that  is,  well  toward  the  ceiling. 
The  dining-room  communicates  with  the  kitchen  through  a  large 
pantry,  eight  feet  square,  or  through  a  slide  in  the  back  of  the 
china-closet.  In  the  kitchen  there  are  broad  windows  on  the 
two  sides,  and  a  door  leading  into  the  back  yard. 

In  following  the  stairway  to  the  second  floor,  it  will  be  noticed 
that  there  is  a  broad  landing  something  more  than  half-way  up, 
and  that  there  is  a  large  window,  slightly  above  it,  which  lights 
the  hall  below,  and  partially  lights  the  one  above.  The  advan- 
tages of  having  a  stairway  which  lands  approximately  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  house,  as  does  this  one,  is  that  no  room  is  lost  by 
having  long  halls  which  have  to  lead  from  the  front  to  the  rear 
of  the  house.  All  we  need  have  is  a  short  hall  in  the  centre  of 
the  building,  which  will  communicate  with  the  rooms  around  it. 
Another  convenience  of  this  arrangement  is  that  all  of  the  front 
of  the  house  is  utilized  for  chambers.  Where  the  stairway  lands 
in  the  front  of  a  house,  there  must  either  be  a  long  hall,  which 
is  a  waste  of  room,  or  one  must  pass  through  one  or  more 
chambers  to  get  to  others.  In  this  plan  the  rooms  are  arranged 
around  the  hall,  there  being  three  large  ones  over  the  three 
principal  rooms  below.  In  each  of  these  chambers  there  is 
abundant  space  for  the  usual  bedroom  furniture,  —  viz.,  a  bed, 
dresser,  wash-stand,  and  chairs.  In  these  rooms  there  are  clos- 
ets, and  at  the  end  of  the  hall  there  is  a  store  closet  for  bedding, 
etc.  The  servant's  room,  as  shown,  is  over  the  kitchen,  as  is 
also  the  bath-room. 

It  may  be  noticed  that  the  fixtures  in  the  bath-room  —  that 


124 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


is,  the  bath-tub  and  closet  —  are  directly  over  the  sink  below, 
so  that  the  pipes  may  have  the  most  direct  and  the  shortest  runs 
possible,  which  is  not  only  economical,  but  also  safer  from 
flooding  in  case  of  accident.  The  tank  in  the  attic,  which  con- 
tains the  soft  or  cistern  water,  is  directly  over  the  tub,  and  the 
laundry  sink  in   the   cellar  is  directly  under  the  kitchen  sink. 


py-crpt_. 


Thus,  from  cellar  to  attic,  all  the  plumbing  fixtures  are  in  line, 
and  all  pipes  exactly  vertical,  excepting  where  it  is  desirable 
to  take  a  short  branch  to  connect  the  fixtures.  Having  the 
bath-room  slightly  separated,  as  it  is,  from  the  main  hall,  it  is 
safer,  from  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  than  if  it  opened  directly 
into  the  main  hall.  There  is  a  closet  for  soiled  linen  next  to  the 
bath-room,  which  is  accessible  either  from  it  or  from  the  short 
hall  leading  to  it.  The  stairs  to  the  attic  lead  out  of  the  hall,  as 
shown.     The  attic  is  floored,  but  is  otherwise  unfinished.     If 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES.  1 25 

found  desirable,  one  or  more  rooms  could  be  finished  here,  which 
would  be  quite  as  large  and  pleasant  as  any  of  the  other  rooms 
in  the  house.  This  house  can  be  finished  complete,  including 
fences,  sheds,  walks,  gas  fixtures,  plumbing,  mantels,  and 
furnace,  for  $2,900. 

Fig.  No.  12  is  an  elevation. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

"WE   KNOW   WHAT    WE   WANT." A    CONVENIENT    PLAN. MEETING 

THE   WANTS    OF    PEOPLE    WHO    BUILD. 

FLOOR  plans  develop  from  the  varying  necessities  of  those 
who  build.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  same  arrangement 
should  suit  any  large  number  of  people.  A  floor  plan,  if  care- 
fully and  thoughtfully  made,  will  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
individuals  whose  wants  are  particularly  considered.  While 
there  are  certain  general  principles,  which  affect  the  value  of  a 
floor  plan  for  good  or  evil,  the  detailed  requirements  are  almost 
as  varied  as  the  tastes  and  dispositions  of  the  occupants. 

A  lady  and  gentleman  come  into  an  architect's  office,  and 
explain  that  they  are  intending  to  build,  and  want  to  look  at 
something  with  a  view  of  selecting  a  plan.  The  architect  has 
a  great  many  plans  which  he  might  show  them,  but  he  knows 
well  enough  that  none  of  them  will  be  selected.      He  says  :  — 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  show  you  anything  I  have,  but  not  with 
the  expectation  of  finding  something  that  will  please  you.  By 
doing  so,  I  shall  probably  find  out  what  you  do  not  want,  and 
in  that  negative  way  meet  your  requirements." 

"  I  think  I  know  what  we  want,"  says  the  lady,  "  but  I  do 
not  know  just  how  to  arrange  it.  The  stairways  bother  me,  and 
there  are  things  which  I  do  not  get  to  suit  me." 

"Well,  tell   me  what  you  want,  and  then  we  will   make   a 

sketch  ;    and   from   that,  corrections  ;   and,  in   the  end,  we  shall 

probably  have  something  satisfactory,  though   not  wholly  so  at 

once." 

126 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES.  1 27 

'•  Before  we  go  any  farther,"  says  the  gentleman,  "  I  want  to 
say  that  we  have  only  twenty-five  .hundred  dollars  to  put  into 
a  house." 

"Yes,  that  is  all  we  can  afford,"  says  the  lady;  "but  I  can 
tell  you  what  we  want." 

The  architect  reaches  for  a  note-book  and  a  piece  of  paper. 

"  We  want  a  reception-hall,  with  a  grate  and  stairway  in  it. 
There  must  be  a  small  vestibule,  with  a  place  for  overshoes,  hats, 
and  overcoats.  Somewhere  near  the  reception-hall,  or  in  it, 
I  want  a  closet  where  I  can  put  my  own  wraps,  and  those  of 
the  children,  and  other  things  which  I  do  not  care  to  keep 
upstairs,  and  yet  wish  to  have  out  of  the  way.  It  does  not  need 
to  be  a  large  closet,  but  must  not  be  unusually  small.  We  want 
a  parlor  and  dining-room,  which  connect  with  the  reception-hall. 
The  parlor  will  be  used  as  a  sitting-room  not  a  little,  but  not  in 
the  ordinary  way,  for  the  reason  that  I  stay  upstairs  with  the 
children  most  of  the  time.  I  do  my  sewing  there.  If  I  should 
use  the  parlor  regularly  as  the  sitting-room,  I  could  receive  my 
callers  in  the  reception-hall.  It  would  be  nice  if  we  could  have 
some  kind  of  a  window-seat  in  that  room.  We  want  a  grate  in 
the  sitting-room,  but  not  necessarily  one  in  the  dining-room. 
I  want  a  back  stairway,  but  it  must  not  go  up  directly  from 
the  kitchen.  The  kitchen  and  pantry  I  want  you  to  make  as 
convenient  as  possible  in  a  house  of  this  cost." 

"  How  would  a  combination  stairway  do  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  that  at  all.  It  would  be  brineine  the  two 
together.  I  want  the  rear  stairway  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  and 
entirely  separate  from  the  one  in  front.  It  should  land  near 
the  girl's  room  on  the  second  floor,  so  that  it  can  be  cut  off  from 
the  rest  of  the  house.  We  must  have  plenty  of  closet-room 
upstairs." 


128  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

"  How  many  children  have  you  ?  " 

"  Two  :  a  baby  and  a  little  boy  about  six  years  old." 

"  Then  you  must  have  at  least  four  bedrooms,"  was  sug- 
gested. "  For  the  present,  the  baby  can  sleep  in  your  room, 
and  the  boy  in  a  room  next  to  and  connecting  with  it.  There 
must  also  be  a  guest's  room  and  a  servant's  room." 

"  Yes,  that  will  have  to  do  for  the  present ;  but  don't  forget 
the  bath-room,  and  be  sure  to  have  plenty  of  closets.  There 
is  one  thing  I  had  almost  forgotten.  There  must  be  some 
arrangement  so  that  the  servant  can  get  from  the  kitchen  to 
the  front  door  without  going  through  the  dining-room ;  but 
we  don't  want  the  smells  of  the  kitchen  to  get  into  the  front 
part  of  the  house." 

After  two  or  three  sketches  had  been  made,  the  result,  as 
here  illustrated,  was  reached.  The  architect  has  it  in  mind  that 
the  space  at  the  right  of  the  entrance  door  in  the  vestibule 
would  serve  as  a  place  for  overcoats  and  other  winter  equip- 
ments. He  suggests  that  a  portiere  be  placed  between  the 
vestibule  and  the  opening  leading  into  the  reception-hall.  This 
will  prevent  draughts  of  cold  air  from  making  their  way  into 
the  front  room  when  the  door  is  opened.  It  will  also  lend 
a  certain  amount  of  privacy.  The  porch  is  placed  in  front,  as 
a  matter  of  course.  In  the  recess  of  the  hall  which  is  made 
by  the  vestibule  a  window-seat  is  placed.  In  the  rear  of  the 
reception-hall  is  the  closet  required.  As  a  means  of  getting 
from  the  kitchen  to  the  reception-hall  without  passing  through 
the  dining-room,  two  doors  are  arranged  leading  to  a  passage 
under  the  stairs.  This  will  prevent  the  passage  of  kitchen 
odors  over  the  house.  The  parlor  and  dining-room  are 
arranged  as  shown.  Between  the  window  and  the  door  leading 
to  the  china-closet  is  space  for  the  sideboard.     The  pantry  is 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


129 


separated  from  the  china-closet  by  the  cupboard  of  the  former. 
It  has  doors  above  and  shelves  below.  The  ice-chest  is  placed 
in  the  pantry.  It  is  readily  accessible  from  both  china-closet 
and  kitchen. 

The  passageway  to  the  second  floor  is  from  this  room,  and, 
considering  the  limited  means  and  large  general  requirements, 


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this  arrangement  will  no  doubt  be  satisfactory.  The  stairway  is 
accessible  from  both  dinino-room  and  kitchen.  As  there  is  a 
bath-room  and  water-closet  above,  there  is  no  necessity  for 
carrying  slops  downstairs  and  through  the  kitchen.  The  kitchen 
has  the  usual  fittings.  The  passage  to  the  cellar  is  under  the 
front  stairway.     As  will   be  remembered,  there  is  a  door  shut- 


130  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

ting  this  passage  from  the  reception-hall.  Upstairs  there  is 
a  closet  in  each  room,  two  opening  into  the  hall  —  one  for 
bed  linen,  and  one  for  dust-pans,  brushes,  etc.  There  is  also 
a  closet  in  the  bath-room.  The  attic  stairway  is  shown.  An 
inspection  of  Plan  No.  8  will  show  how  all  of  the  requirements 
were  met. 

Cost,  as  per  schedule  "  B,"  $2,200. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

TWO     GOOD    ROOMS    IN    FRONT. THE    COMBINATION    PANTRY. TOO 

MUCH    CELLAR    A    BURDEN. $2,500. 

IN  Plan  No.  9,  the  reception-room  contains  the  front  stairway. 
This  stairway  lands  near  the  front  of  the  house  on  the  second 
floor,  for  which  reason  we  are  enabled  to  have  in  the  front  part 
of  the  house  the  two  rooms  which  are  most  used  on  each  floor. 
We  have  the  two  chambers  above,  and  the  reception-room  and 
the  sitting-room  below.  If  we  had  a  long,  narrow  stair  hall  con- 
structed in  the  usual  way,  we  should  have  the  sitting-room 
towards  the  rear,  and  only  a  little  alcove  bedroom  over  the  hall 
in  front. 

The  dining-room,  which  is  a  large  room,  is  connected  with 
the  front  part  of  the  house  by  sliding-doors.  It  has  a  grate  in 
one  corner  of  it.  On  general  principles,  a  grate  has  no  business 
in  the  dining-room.  It  is  nearly  always  at  some  one's  back,  and 
makes  him  uncomfortable  at  meal  time.  Beine  in  the  corner  of 
the  room,  it  is  farther  from  any  one  than  it  would  be  if  located 
on  a  side  wall :  hence  it  may  be  allowed.  There  is  a  porch  in 
the  rear  of  the  dining-room,  and  between  the  door  leading  to 
it  and  the  door  to  the  china-closet  there  is  a  space  for  a  side- 
board. There  are  two  windows  at  the  end  of  this  dining-room. 
The  door  which  passes  into  the  pantry  should  be  on  double 
spring-hinges,  so  that  it  will  swing  both  ways.  One  can  push 
against  it  and  open  from  either  side,  and  when  it  is  released  it 
will  take  its  natural  position. 

131 


132 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


The  pantry  is  a  large  one.  Pantries,  in  general,  may  be 
regarded  as  a  kitchen  annex  —  a  store-room  and  preparing-room. 
This  pantry  is  on  the  combination  plan.  It  connects  with  the 
china-closet  by  means  of  a  slide.  Aside  from  this  china-closet, 
which  projects  into  it,  there  is  a  cupboard  with  double  doors  at 
one  end,  a  flour-bin  at  the  side,  a  pastry  table  next  to  it,  and  a 


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refrigerator  by  the  window.  One  reason  for  placing  this  refrig- 
erator near  the  window  is,  that  a  flight  of  steps  and  a  platform 
might  be  arranged  on  the  outside,  so  that  the  iceman  could  put 
in  the  ice  without  going  through  the  kitchen.  We  go  down 
cellar  from  this  pantry. 

There  is  a  cellar  under  about  half  of  this  house  —  the 
kitchen  and  the  dining-room.  It  should  have  a  cemented  floor, 
and  numerous  windows    for   lighting  it.     The    part  under  the 


PLANS    OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES  133 

kitchen  could  be  used  for  a  laundry,  that  under  the  dining-room 
for  coal  storage  and  furnace.  There  could  be  an  excavation 
under  a  part  of  the  sitting-room  for  vegetable  storage.  "  Why 
not  put  a  cellar  under  the  whole  house  ?  It  would  cost  but 
little  more,"  has  been  asked  many  times.  It  is  the  little  things, 
the  smaller  economies,  in  a  building  of  this  kind  which  makes 


the  difference  between  an  expensive  house  and  a  house  of 
moderate  cost.  Every  foot  of  cellar  space  beyond  what  is 
needed  for  actual  use  is  a  burden  to  the  housekeeper.  The 
arrangement  has  more  to  do  with  the  number  of  apartments  than 
with  the  amount  of  space.  We  have  a  laundry-room,  a  place 
for  furnace  and  fuel,  and  a  room  for  vegetables,  which  is  about 
all  that  can  be  used.     From  the  cellar  we  can  go  up  the  stair- 


134  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

way  and  into  the  kitchen,  from  the  kitchen  to  the  second  floor, 
and  from  the  second  floor  to  the  attic. 

It  is  a  large  attic,  a  place  for  large  rooms  if  one  should 
need  them.  Under  any  circumstances  this  attic  should  be 
floored.  There  could  be  no  better  place  for  general  storage, 
and  at  times  for  drying  clothes. 

It  seldom  happens  that  two  houses  from  exactly  the  same 
plan  are  built.  While  this  plan  has  pleased  many  people,  there 
are  others  who  would  not  be  attracted  by  it ;  who  would  not 
care  to  build  this  house  as  their  home.  The  universal  floor 
plan  has  never  been  made,  and  never  will  be.  There  are  gen- 
eral principles  running  through  all  plans  which  are  valuable, 
and  if  rightly  understood  will  contribute  to  the  improvement 
of  the  homes  of  the  people. 

Fig.  13  is  an  elevation. 

Cost,  without  appurtenances,  $2,500,  as  per  schedule  "  B." 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

SITTING-ROOM  AND    PARLOR    IN    FRONT. A    CONNECTING   VESTIBULE. 

A    CENTRAL      COMBINATION     STAIRWAY. GOOD     ROOMS    IN    THE 

ATTIC. 

WHEN  we  say  that  the  sitting-room  should  be  in  the  front 
part  of  the  house,  it  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  the 
parlor  should  be  disturbed.     As  shown  in    Plan   No.   10,  they 
may  both  be  in  front.     The  vestibule,  which  is  large  enough  for 
a  hat-rack,  and  for  the  occupants  of  the   house  to   stand  while 
putting  on  their  overshoes  and  wraps,  is  in  front  of  both  parlor 
and  reception-room,  but  yet  in  a  way  so  as  not  to  disturb  the 
view  to  the  street  from  either  of  these  rooms.     We  cannot  have 
all  of  the  rooms  in  front.     The   kitchen  we  do  not  want  there. 
The  dining-room  is  convenient  if  placed  immediately  in  the  rear 
of  the  sitting-room.     Thus  we  have  two  rooms  in  front  and  two 
in  the  rear.     This  is  practically  a  square  house.     The  old  habit 
has  been  to  place  the  stairway  along  one  side  of  the  parlor  in  the 
hall  which  served  as  a  passageway  from  the  front  to  the  rooms 
immediately  in  the  rear.     This  distribution  of  halls  is  what  has 
thrown  the  sitting-room  back  of  the  parlor.     In  the  plan  here 
given  the  change  has  been  made  so  that  the  hall  has  relatively 
the  same  position  that  did  the  sitting-room  in  the  past,  though 
it  is  by  no  means  as  large.     It  is  essentially  a  stair-hall,  and 
incidentally    a    passage.      As    placed,    we    may   enter   it    from 
the  parlor,  sitting-room,  dining-room,  or  kitchen.     Its   position 
is  central.     There  are  two  doors  between  this  stair-hall  and  the 
kitchen.     The  central  position  of  the  stairway  has  other  advan- 

135 


136 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


tages  than  those  just  stated.  It  makes  long  halls  on  the  second 
floor  entirely  unnecessary.  As  will  be  seen  by  looking  at  the 
floor  plan,  it  gives  two  good  bedrooms  in  front. 

The  dining-room  is  immediately  in  the  rear  of  the  sitting- 
room.  There  may  be  sliding  doors  connecting  these  two  rooms. 
One  door,  three  and  a  half  feet  wide,  usually  makes  a  suffi- 


-^oapNcHO.  HP  ° 


JBecTF^rj?^ 


J3o.O?. 


WJPTTL 


a 


OpCFp?b&r-. 


C-jpoo^pberr: 


1 


ciently  large  opening  for  the  dining-room  connection.  There 
are  sliding  doors  between  the  parlor  and  sitting-room,  and 
dining-room  and  sitting-room,  as  shown.  The  kitchen  has  the 
advantage  of  a  certain  amount  of  isolation  from  the  rest  of 
the  house,  for  the  reason  that  there  are  two  doors  between  it 
and  any  other  room.  The  pantries  are  arranged  with  reference 
to  their  most  convenient  use.     In  the  kitchen-pantry  there  are 


PLANS    OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES.  137 

places  for  a  refrigerator,  flour  bin,  bread-board,  and  cupboard. 
The  dining-room  pantry  is  a  china-closet,  with  glass  doors 
above  and  closed  doors  below.  The  doors  connecting  the 
dining-room  pantry  or  passage  should  be  hung  on  double-spring 
hinges. 

In  the  plan  of  this  house  it  is  shown  how  we  may  go  from 
the  kitchen  to  the  same  landing  that  is  used  for  the  main  stair- 
way, and  thus  avoid  the  necessity  for  a  distinctively  back  hall 
and  back  stairway.  However,  if  it  is  so  desired,  it  is  easy  to 
place  a  stairway  in  the  rear,  and  thus  have  them  entirely  inde- 
pendent. In  that  event  a  room  may  be  placed  over  the  pantry, 
and  be  used  by  the  servant.  This  part  of  the  house  could  be  cut 
off  from  the  front  rooms  and  the  bath-room  on  the  second  floor 
by  a  door.  But  to  take  the  house  as  it  is,  we  have  a  combina- 
tion stairway,  there  being,  two  doors  separating  the  kitchen 
approach  from  the  common  landing  in  the  main  stair-hall. 

On  the  second  floor  there  is  a  hall  about  fourteen  feet  lono- 
from  which  we  pass  to  two  bedrooms  in  front,  two  in  the  rear, 
the  bath-room  and  the  store-closet.  Each  room  is  independent. 
They  may  be  connected  one  with  the  other  as  family  necessities 
suggest.  The  store-closet  is  accessible  from  the  hall,  as  such 
a  closet  should  be.  This  makes  it  available  from  any  of  the 
rooms.     The  bath-room  is  directly  over  the  kitchen. 

In  each  bedroom  there  is  a  place  for  a  bed,  a  dressincr-case, 
and  a  wash-stand,  which  is  not  always  the  case  in  bedrooms. 
If  there  is  a  place  for  these  things,  if  the  dressing-case  bears  its 
proper  relation  to  the  sources  of  light,  if  it  is  so  placed  that  the 
light  from  the  window  or  from  the  gas  shines  in  the  face  of  the 
user,  if  the  wash-stand  is  conveniently  disposed,  and  there  is 
room  at  the  side  of  it  for  a  slop-jar,  if  there  is  a  large  closet, 
then  the  architect  has  done  his  full  duty  in  the  arrangement  of 


138  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

the  bedroom.     The  room  that  is  called  the  family  room  should 
be  especially  well  cared  for  in  the  matter  of  closets. 

A  hundred  dollars  would  lath  and  plaster  the  entire  attic  of 
this  house,  and  provide  a  room  in  the  front  part  which  could  be 
used  by  the  boys  or  the  servant.  There  is  no  objection  to 
this  except  in  the  necessity  for  climbing  an  extra  pair  of  stairs. 
The  mere  mention  of  a  bedroom  in  the  attic  is  distasteful  to 
many  people.  It  arouses  memories  of  hot,  dusty,  and  uncom- 
fortabli  places  in  which  they  have  passed  the  night.  All  this 
depends  on  the  attic.  The  roof  in  this  house  is  pitched  at  an 
angle  of  forty-five  degrees.  The  house  at  the  narrowest  point 
is  29  feet  wide.  This  would  make  the  attic  at  the  highest 
point  14!  feet.  We  can  stud  down  from  this  and  have  a  nine- 
foot  story  and  at  the  same  time  a  large  room,  one  which  would 
have  none  of  the  disadvantages  of  a  half-story  room,  and  which 
would  have  all  the  advantages  of  a  well-ventilated,  comfortable 
bedroom,  for  summer  or  winter.  The  plastering  of  the  attic 
suggests  neatness.  Having  it  well  lighted  by  dormers  exposes 
all  disorder.     Cost,  as  per  schedule  "  B,"  $2,600. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

A    COMPACT    PLAN.  AN  ISOLATED  RECEPTION-ROOM. COMBINATION 

STAIRWAY. DESCRIPTION     OF     THE    FLOOR    PLAN.  CELLAR     AR- 
RANGEMENT.    DINING-ROOM     AND     CONSERVATORY.  ANOTHER 

PLAN. 

THE  floor  plans  in  No.  1 1  are  of  a  house  of  small  area, 
30  x  34J  feet,  for  the  body  of  the  structure.  There  is  a 
porch  in  front,  a  circular  bay  window  at  one  side,  and  a  pantry 
and  china-closet  projecting  at  the  rear.  In  the  house  there  are 
eight  available  rooms  besides  the  bath-room  and  the  attic.  In 
the  attic,  rooms  quite  as  liberal  as  any  in  the  house  could  be 
constructed  at  a  small  expense. 

On  the  first  floor,  as  we  enter,  there  is  the  reception  or 
sitting  hall,  which  is  so  common  in  the  more  modern  arrange- 
ments of  dwellings.  This  reception  hall  or  room  has  a  certain 
amount  of  isolation  from  the  passage  which  leads  from  the  ves- 
tibule to  the  stairway  and  the  rear  portion  of  the  house.  It 
may  be  separated  therefrom  by  curtains  or  portieres.  It  would 
be  entirely  possible  to  separate  the  two  by  means  of  sliding 
doors,  in  which  event  the  opening  from  the  room  into  the 
passage  would  have  to  be  a  little  narrower  than  shown  in  the 
drawings.  This  room  could  be  used  as  the  office  of  a  physi- 
cian, or  of  a  gentleman  who  did  more  or  less  business  at  home. 
By  making  the  front  vestibule  about  six  inches  deeper,  a  sepa- 
rate entrance  to  this  room  could  be  provided.  In  this  event,  a 
door  from  the  room  into  the  passage  leading  to  the  living  part 
of  the  house  would  be  a  necessity.     The  circular  bay  end  of 

139 


140  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

this  room  would  present  an  attractive  feature.  The  windows  in 
this  part  of  the  room  could  be  placed  about  four  feet  from  the 
floor,  in  which  event  book-shelves  could  be  arranged  below 
them.  The  window  in  front  goes  to  within  seventeen  inches  of 
the  floor.  Under  the  stairway,  and  leading  from  this  room, 
may  be  placed  a  very  liberal  closet,  in  which  there  should  be 
a  small  window. 

Leading  from  the  passage  is  the  stairway,  and  two  closets. 
The  little  passage  in  which  one  closet  is  placed  is  separated 
from  the  hall  by  a  door.  There  is  another  door  opening  from 
this  passage  into  the  kitchen.  Thus  there  are  two  doors 
between  the  kitchen  and  the  front  part  of  the  house.  This 
arrangement  has  in  mind  the  isolation  of  the  kitchen  from  the 
other  rooms  in  a  way  to  prevent  the  passage  of  the  usual 
kitchen  odors. 

The  stairways  in  this  house  are  of  the  class  known  as  combi- 
nation stairways  ;  while  they  are  convenient  and  easy  of  con- 
struction, there  is  a  certain  amount  of  complication  in  their 
arrangement  which  makes  them  difficult  of  description  so  as  to 
be  understood  by  those  not  accustomed  to  examining  floor  plans. 
There  is  the  stairway  from  the  front  hall  to  the  floor  above,  and 
one  from  the  kitchen  to  the  landing  of  the  front  stairway.  The 
landing  of  the  front  stairway  and  that  from  the  kitchen  stairway 
is  in  common ;  that  is,  it  is  the  same.  For  the  purpose  of 
making  this  understood,  it  may  be  well  to  say  that  one  may  go 
up  the  stairway  from  the  front  hall  to  the  landing,  some  eight 
steps,  and  from  thence  down  into  the  kitchen,  or  he  can 
turn  right  face  and  go  to  the  landing  on  the  second  floor.  This 
part  of  the  stairs  is  used  coming  up  from  the  kitchen  as  well 
as  from  the  front  hall.  However,  the  kitchen  stairway  is  sep- 
arated from  the  landing  by  a  door.     There  is   another  door  at 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


141 


the  foot  of  this  kitchen  stairway.  In  coming  downstairs,  one 
may  turn  to  the  right,  open  a  door,  and  go  clown  into  the 
kitchen  ;  or,  he  may  turn  to  the  left,  and  go  down  the  front 
stairway  into  the  hall.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  combina- 
tion stairway  is  a  front  and  rear  stairway  together,  with  separate 
entrance  from  both  parts  of  the  house,  —  one  from  the  kitchen, 


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and  one  from  the  front  hall.  It  must  be  confessed  that  there 
is  a  certain  amount  of  compromise  in  an  arrangement  of  this 
kind,  but  it  is  a  saving  of  both  space  and  money,  and  is  tolerable 
on  this  account.  By  this  plan  everything  is  concentrated,  and 
without  the  serious  drawback  which  extra  cost,  or  a  smaller  number 
of  rooms,  would  imply  to  those  who  have  only  a  little  over  two 
thousand  dollars  to  spend  for  a  house,  without  appurtenances. 
The  head  room  for  the  stairway,  coming  up  from  the  kitchen,  is 
secured  under  the  bath-tub  in  the  bath-room  immediately  above. 


142 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


The  cellar  stairway  is  clearly  indicated  as  going  down  par- 
allel to  the  kitchen  stairs  and  under  the  front  stairs.  The  cellar 
in  this  house  should  be  under  the  kitchen,  stairways,  and  the 
reception-hall ;  that  is,  it  would  occupy  all  of  one  side  of  the 

house.  In  this  cellar  plan  the 
principles  set  forth  in  the  pre- 
vious chapter  on  cellars  are 
carried  out. 

The  parlor  is  thirteen  and 
one-half  by  seventeen  feet  in 
size.  It  is  connected  with  a 
hall  by  wide  sliding  doors,  so 
that  about  one-half  of  this  side 
of  the  room  may  be  open.  The 
grate  opposite  the  sliding  doors 
in  the  parlor  would  present  a 
very  beautiful  view  from  the 
hall  and  stairway.  The  sliding 
doors  between  the  parlor  and  dining-room  are  placed  there  more 
in  deference  to  custom  than  through  any  personal  sense  of  their 
fitness.  Sliding  doors  do  not  have  the  quality  of  excluding 
sound  or  odors  that  is  desirable.  The  ordinary  hinged  door  is 
better  in  this  respect.  This  room  which  would  commonly  be 
called  a  parlor  would  really  be  used  as  a  living-room,  excepting 
by  those  who  use  the  dining-room  or  one  of  the  second-floor 
chambers  for  that  purpose. 

Our  dining-room  has  an  independent  connection  with  the 
front  hall,  so  that  we  do  not  have  to  go  through  the  parlor  or 
the  sitting-room  to  reach  it.  A  little  extra  money,  say  seventy 
dollars,  would  place  a  conservatory  at  one  side,  at  one  corner, 
or  at  the  end  of  this  dining-room.     Fifty  dollars  would  give  a 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES.  1 43 

bay  window.  As  it  is,  we  have  two  windows  of  the  ordinary- 
kind  at  one  side  of  the  room,  and  none  at  the  end.  A  very 
good  arrangement,  when  bay  or  conservatory  is  not  used, 
would  be  to  take  one  of  these  windows  at  the  side  and  place  it 
at  the  rear  end,  though  near  the  outside  corner  of  the  room. 
This  would  give  space  between  the  windows  and  the  china- 
closet  door  for  a  sideboard.  The  window  at  the  side  of  the 
dining-room,  if  the  other  were  moved  to  the  end,  should  be 
in  the  middle  of  the  wall  space  ;  that  is,  opposite  the  centre 
of  the  flue. 

From  the  dining-room  we  go  into  the  kitchen  through  the 
china-pantry,  which  is  marked  "passage."  This  china-pantry 
has  a  little  window  at  one  side,  and  at  the  end  a  separate  apart- 
ment for  chinaware,  which  is  closed  from  the  passage  by  means  of 
glass  doors.  The  doors  leading  from  the  passage  into  the  dining- 
room  and  kitchen  should  be  hung  on  double-swinging  hinges. 

There  are  those  who  would  say  that  there  should  be  no  door 
from  the  kitchen  into  the  passage  leading  from  the  dining-room 
to  the  front  hall.  It  would  probably  be  well  to  retain  this  door 
in  this  position,  and  have  a  bolt  on  the  side  of  the  door  toward 
the  hall.  Thus  the  mistress  of  the  house  can  close  it,  and  keep 
it  closed  at  will.  Another  thing  that  might  be  done  would  be 
to  place  a  strong  spring  on  this  door  which  would  always  keep 
it  closed.  The  windows  in  this  kitchen  should  be  placed  about 
three  feet  from  the  floor,  so  that  tables  may  be  placed  under 
them.  There  is  a  place  for  a  gas-stove  between  the  two  win- 
dows, or  even  under  them  if  desirable.  The  porch  at  the  rear 
of  the  kitchen  may  be  enclosed  with  lattice  work,  or,  what  is 
better,  coarse  louvered  slats,  like  those  of  a  shutter.  In  either 
event,  it  could  be  covered  with  screen  wire,  and  made  a  part  of 
the  kitchen  in  summer.     In  the  plan,  however,  nothing  of  this 


144 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


kind  is  indicated.  The  door  which  leads  from  the  porch  into 
the  pantry  is  a  small  one,  placed  above  the  ice-chest,  and  is  for 
the  use  of  the  ice-man. 

The   arrangement  of  rooms   upstairs  will  be  readily  under- 
stood.    Leading  out  of  the  hall  is  a  store  closet  for  bedding, 


-Php^o\2- 


etc.  It  is  located  so  as  to  be  accessible  from  all  rooms.  From 
the  front  end  of  the  hall  a  door  leads  into  the  stair  passage  to 
the  attic. 

Plan  No.  12  is  the  outgrowth  of  Plan  No.  n.  In  it  there  is 
a  lift  running  from  cellar  to  attic,  as  shown.  The  only  impor- 
tant difference  between  it  and  No.  1 1  is  in  the  size  of  the  library. 
Cost,  as  per  schedule  "  B,''  $2,600.  Fig.  14  is  an  elevation  :  see 
page  147. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

WHAT    CAN    BE    DONE    FOR    $1,600? THE    CLOSET   IN    THE  HALL. 

A    SMALL    CONVENIENT    KITCHEN. CLOSETS    IN    THE    BEDROOMS. 

THIS  house  —  Plan  No.  13 — was  finished  at  a  cost  of  less 
than  $1,600.  This  included,  besides  the  house  itself,  a 
woodshed,  well,  and  cistern.  There  is  a  cellar  under  the  hall 
and  parlor.  The  building  has  a  brick  foundation,  and  the  wood- 
work begins  two  feet  above  the  grade.  The  stud-walls  of  the 
exterior  are  lined,  first  with  dressed  sheathing,  then  with  heavy 
building-paper,  and  finally  covered  with  weather-boarding.  The 
first  and  second  tiers  of  joists  are  two  by  ten  inches  ;  the  ceil- 
ing-joists of  the  second  story  are  two  by  eight  inches.  All  ol 
the  studding  is  two  by  four  inches.  The  windows  have  box 
frames  with  iron  weights  and  cotton  cords.  The  first  story 
is  ten  feet  high,  the  second  eight  and  a  half  feet.  These 
details  of  construction  are  mentioned  so  that  any  one  interested 
may  know  that  it  is  a  substantial,  well-constructed  building. 
The  interior  finish  is  of  pine,  part  of  which  is  varnished  and  the 
remainder  stained  and  varnished.  The  front  door  and  stairway 
are  of  quartered  oak. 

The  front  porch  is  io|  feet  wide  and  *]\  feet  deep.  It  has  a 
high  roof  over  it,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  elevation.  The 
entrance,  being  at  one  side  of  the  porch,  gives  more  available 
space  for  uninterrupted  use  during  the  warm  weather.  The  hall 
is  10  feet  wide  and  \o\  feet  long.  The  stairway  has  first  two 
steps  to  a  broad  landing,  and  then  a  continuous  movement  to 

*45 


146 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


the  second  floor.  If  this  landing  were  reduced  in  size  by 
making  the  approach  more  direct,  say  turning  directly  to  the 
left  as  one  enters  the  door  and  going  through  a  landing  the 
width  of  the  stairway  before  making  the  general  ascent,  there 
would  be  more  available  room  in  the  hall.  It  is  shown  this  way 
in    the    drawing,   because   it   is    the  way  the  house  was  built. 


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jzpdf^oar* 


There  is  a  closet  in  this  hall.  There  are  many  houses  built 
without  a  closet  on  the  first  floor,  but  it  is  certainly  better  that 
one  be  provided. 

As  will  be  seen,  there  are  three  rooms  on  the  first  floor,  and 
four  and  a  bath  on  the  second.  It  is  an  easy  house  to  care  for, 
because  there  is  no  waste  space,  and  all  the  rooms  are  readily 
accessible  without  extra  steps.  Waste  room  means  waste  of 
energy  and  waste  of  money  in  more  ways  than  one  —  waste  not 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


H7 


only  as  to  the  unnecessary  expenditure  in  the  cost  of  building, 
but  in  carpets,  and  in  the  labor  of  sweeping  and  caring  for 
them. 

In  the  parlor  at  the  right  of  the  hall  are  two  windows  and  a 
grate  ;  one  window  is  in  front  and  the  other  at  the  side.  The 
dining-room  is  similarly  equipped.  It  has  a  large  china-closet 
which  connects  with  the  table  in  the  kitchen  by  means  of  a  slide. 


F^Kh 


There  is  also  a  door  between  the  kitchen  and  dining-room. 
Eleven  by  twelve  and  a  half  feet  is  not  large  for  a  kitchen.  The 
availability  of  kitchen  space  is  not  entirely  dependent,  however, 
on  its  dimensions,  but  rather  upon  the  disposition  of  the  wall- 
space  and  the  conveniences  which  have  to  do  with  a  kitchen. 
It  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a  space  for  the  kitchen-range  or 
stove  near  the  flue  which  does  not  conflict  with  the  use  of 
any  other  part  of  the  kitchen.     Also  there  is  a  space  between 


148 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


the  door  which  leads  into  the  pantry  and  an  outside  wall  which 
gives  place  for  a  kitchen-safe,  which  may  hold  the  kitchen 
utensils.  It  is  out  of  the  way  and  yet  convenient  to  the  range. 
The  safe  might  be  placed  opposite  the  tables  at  the  other  end 
of  the  kitchen,  if  thought  desirable.  The  kitchen  window  is 
placed  about  three  feet  above  the  floor.     This  gives  wall-space 


\ar- 
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noxu; 


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under  it.     Where  a  safe  is  hot  used,  a  cabinet,  to  contain  pots, 
kettles,  etc.,  can  be  placed  there. 

The  pantry  is  quite  convenient  to  the  kitchen.  There  is  an 
enclosed  cupboard  on  one  side  which  has  doors  and  shelves 
above  and  below,  and  in  the  recess  next  to  the  dining-room 
wall  is  a  place  for  open  shelves.  Near  the  pantry  window  is  a 
dough-board  and  a  place  for  flour.  Here,  also,  is  the  entrance 
to  the  cellar.  It  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a  door  between  the 
pantry  and  hall,  which  makes  it  possible  to  pass  from  the  kitchen 
to  the  stairway  or  from  the  kitchen  to  the  front  hall  without 
going  through   other  rooms.     The   enclosed   cupboard    in    the 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


149 


pantry  makes   it  possible  to  keep   it   always   tidy.     There   is   a 
glazed  door  in  the  rear  of  the  kitchen. 

It  may  be  noticed  that  there  is  not  a  large  hall  to  be  carpeted 
or  swept  on  the  second  floor.  This  hall  is  well  lighted  by  a 
window  at  the  side.     From  here   one   can  go  into  any  of  the 


rooms  on  the  second  floor.  As  to  the  bedrooms,  there  is  a 
convenient  place  for  bedroom  furniture  in  all  of  them.  There 
is  at  least  a  choice  of  two  places  for  each  bed,  a  space  for 
a  dressing-case  where  it  will  get  the  best  light,  and  room  for  a 
wash-stand.  There  is  a  closet  in  each  bedroom,  of  ample 
capacity. 


i5<> 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


The  right-hand  house  in  Fig.  No.  10  shows  the  exterior  of 
Plan  No.  13. 

Plan  No.  14  is  another  edition  of  Plan  15.  The  room 
lettered  parlor  is  properly  a  sitting-room.  By  dispensing  with 
the  grate  in  the  reception-hall  this  house  could  be  built,  as  it 
was  at  one  time,  with  a  stairway  meeting  the  one  coming  up 
from  the  dining-room  and  passing  from  thence  to  the  second 
floor.     The    elevation    of    this    house    shows   it  with  an    attic, 


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though  the  plan  does  not  contemplate  this  arrangement.  With- 
out the  attic  and  with  a  lower-pitched  roof,  this  building, 
without  appurtenances,  can  be  finished  for  $1,500. 

Fig.  15  is  an  elevation  of  Plans  No.  14  and  15. 

Plans  No.  13  and  15  belong  to  the  same  class.  No.  15  is 
more  elaborate  in  its  details,  and  larger.  From  the  sitting- 
room  one  passes  to  the  landing  where  it  meets  a  stairway 
coming  up  from  the  kitchen.  From  thence  there  is  a  common 
passage  to  the  second  floor.     On  this  floor  are  four  bedrooms, 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


151 


a  bath-room,  and  a  liberal  supply  of  closets.  One  of  the  front 
chambers  is  supplied  with  two,  and  the  hall  with  two.  There 
is  one  in  the  bath-room,  and  each  of  the  other  rooms.  The 
cellar  and  attic  of  this  house  are  plastered.  The  building,  with- 
out appurtenances,  as  per  schedule  "  B,"  cost  $2,550. 
Fig.  No.  16  is  an  elevation  of  Plan  No.  15. 


FM<6 


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CHAPTER   XXII. 

OUTGROWTHS     OF     ONE     IDEA.  EVERYTHING     COUNTS     AS    A    ROOM. 

ONE      CHIMNEY.  CONVENIENCES     OF     A     CONDENSED     HOUSE. 

COST    FROM    $1,600   TO    $2,800. 

PLANS  Nos.  1 6,  17,  and  1 8  are  all  outgrowths  of  the  same 
idea.  It  is  the  most  economical  general  scheme  for  a  house 
that  is  represented  in  this  collection.  In  No.  16  there  is  not 
more  than  forty-eight  square  feet  of  hall  space  in  the  entire 
house.  This  is  on  the  second  floor.  This  plan  was  devised 
under  an  extraordinary  pressure  for  a  roomy  house  for  a  relatively 
small  sum  of  money.  Everything  is  made  to  count  for  a  room. 
Twelve  sets  of  plans  of  this  general  kind  were  made  for  as 
many  different  owners  of  houses  during  one  season.  This 
statement  is  made  for  the  purpose  of  indicating  its  popularity. 
We  will  look  through  No.  16  with  some  respect  to  detail. 

It  is  a  one-chimney  plan.  There  are  three  grates  with  inde- 
pendent flues  in  the  three  principal  rooms  on  the  first  floor,  and 
two  grates  with  their  flues  on  the  second  floor.  One  among 
other  points  of  economy  is  the  stairway  arrangement.  It  is  a 
combination,  front,  rear,  and  cellar  all  in  compact  form.  There 
are  two  doors  between  the  kitchen  and  the  landing  of  the  main 
stairway.  In  this  respect  it  is  like  other  combination  stairways 
which  have  been  described.  The  front  and  rear  stairway  come 
to  the  same  landing,  and  from  thence  to  the  second  floor.  The 
front  stairway  is  provided  with  a  railing,  baluster,  etc.,  and  the 
one  from  the  kitchen   is  within  an  enclosure.     There  may  be 

portieres  between  the  landing  and  the  reception-hall.    Thus  one 

152 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


J53 


may  pass  from  the  kitchen  to  the  second  floor  without  coming- 
into  view  from  this  room.  The  cellar  stairway  goes  down  under 
the  main  stairway.  The  combination  idea  is  carried  out  again 
in  the  pantry  and  china-closet.  This  pantry  and  its  arrangement 
in  detail  are  fully  described  in  Chapter  VI.,  and  illustrated  in 


or 


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Fig.  4.  The  vestibule  next  to  the  reception-hall  is  the  one 
referred  to  in  Chapter  V. 

On  the  second  floor  are  four  bedrooms  and  a  bath-room, 
which  is  immediately  over  the  kitchen.  There  is  a  straight  run 
of  pipe  in  a  pipe  duct  on  the  inside  wall. 

Fig.  17  is  a  photographic  view  of  the  exterior.  It  is  an 
ultra  shingle  design. 


154 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


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PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


155 


Fio\   1 3   is  an  elevation  of  Plan   No.    17.     Fig.  19  of  Plan 

No.  18. 

No.  17  is  the  house  in  which  the  general  plan  was  first 
worked  out,  and,  in  some  respects,  it  shows  that  the  idea  was 
then  in  an  experimental  stage.  However,  it  indicates  a  house  of 
moderate  size  on  this  plan,  whereas  No.  16  is  a  large  house.    No. 


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18  is  the  small  size  of  the  same  plan.  It  has  been  built  many 
times  as  a  rental  house.  With  the  furnace  it  is  under  lease,  in 
one  instance,  for  five  hundred  dollars  a  year.  In  other  cases, 
without  a  furnace  but  including  plumbing  with  the  use  of  city 
water  only,  the  rent  is  thirty-five  dollars  a  month.  Any  of  these 
plans  can  be  worked  into  a  double  house  by  putting  the  bath- 
room on  the  outside,  and  adding  to  the  amount  of  window  space 


156  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

front  and  rear.  The  following-  is  a  list  of  costs,  without  appurte- 
nances, as  per  schedule  "  B  "  :  — 

No.  16,  as  a  shingle  house,  $2,800;  No.  17,  $2,200;  No. 
18,  $1,600. 

The  latter  figure  includes  soft-wood  finish  throughout. 
Other  sizes  of  this  house  have  been  built  where  the  general 
construction  aggregated  $2,400. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ONE-STORY    PLANS.  DESCRIPTION     OF    FLOOR     PLANS. BATH-ROOM 

NEXT     TO     KITCHEN     FLUE. KITCHEN,     PORCH,     AND     PANTRY. 

THE    EXTERIOR. ENLARGEMENTS    ON    THIS    PLAN.  OTHER    ONE- 
STORY    HOUSES. 

THIS  house  —  Plan  No.  19  —  has  been  built  for  $1,400.  It 
is  a  one-story  cottage,  containing  five  rooms,  a  bath-room, 
and  a  pantry.  Such  a  house  is  suited  to  young  people  of  mod- 
erate means,  or  possibly  to  older  ones,  where  there  are  no  chil- 
dren, or  where  the  housekeeper  does  her  own  work.  It  will  be 
seen  that  it  gives  more  of  the  conveniences  of  a  larger  house 
than  are  usually  found  in  a  cottage  of  this  size. 

From  the  porch  we  pass  into  a  little  vestibule,  which  might 
be  made  larger  by  throwing  into  it  the  closet  which  opens  from 
the  sitting-room.  From  the  vestibule  we  go  either  into  the 
parlor  or  the  sitting-room.  This  parlor  could  be  used  as  the 
living-room  of  the  house,  and  the  sitting-room  as  the  dining- 
room,  and  still  meet  all  the  conditions  of  good  housekeeping. 
Off  from  the  sitting-room  is  a  projection,  which  could  be  very 
comfortably  arranged  as  a  window-seat.  It  could  be  used  as 
such  during  warm  weather,  and  as  a  place  for  plants  in 
winter.  In  the  corner  of  this  room  is  a  closet,  which  may  be 
connected  with  the  kitchen  by  a  slide.  There  are  sliding  doors 
between  the  sitting-room  and  the  bedroom.  In  the  front  part 
of  the  bedroom  is  a  large  closet.  It  is  possible  that  many  would 
prefer  to  have  a  window  at  this  point,  and  have  a  smaller  closet 

157 


IS8 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


elsewhere  ;  say,  in  the  corner  next  to  the  sliding-door  partition. 
The  placing  of  a  closet  next  to  the  rear  wall  would  leave  no 
place  for  a  bed  as  the  rooms  are  now  arranged.  If  the  door 
from  the  parlor  to  the  bedroom  were  omitted  the  head  of  the 
bed  might  be  placed  against  the  sliding-door  partition,  and  the 


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closet  cut  out  from  the  rear  bedroom,  with  an  opening  leading 
into  the  front  bedroom. 

From  the  sitting-room,  or  from  the  front  bedroom,  we  pass 
into  a  little  hall ;  and  from  the  hall  into  the  kitchen,  the  bath- 
room, or  the  rear  bedroom.  Over  each  of  the  five  doors 
leading  into  this  hall  there  should  be  a  transom  ;  thus  it  would 
be  well  lighted.  The  placing  of  the  hall  in  this  way  makes  all 
of  the  rooms  surrounding  it  independently  accessible.     The  rear 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES.  1 59 

bedroom  has  a  place  for  a  bed,  a  large  closet,  and  a  wall  space 
for  necessary  furniture.  The  availability  of  a  bedroom  is  not 
always  dependent  upon  its  size.  A  room  may  be  large,  and  yet 
not  contain  wall  space  for  the  furniture.  A  large  bedroom  may 
have  a  small  closet.     This  bedroom  has  a  large  one. 

The  bath-room  comes  next  to  the  kitchen  flue.  This  is 
important  when  we  consider  that  the  kitchen  flue  is  frequently 
the  last  one  in  the  house  to  get  cool.  As  here  arranged,  the 
pipe  connections  with  the  bath-tub  would  all  be  short  ;  they 
would  all  be  near  this  flue,  and  on  the  inside  wall.  Hence  the 
conditions  would  be  against  freezing.  There  is  a  hollow 
thimble  in  the  pipe  connections  between  the  kitchen  flue  and 
the  bedroom.  The  bath-room  might  connect  with  the  same  flue 
or  flue-stack.  Connecting  with  the  bath-room  there  is  a  large 
linen-closet,  which  is  about  the  proper  size  and  form  for  folded 
bed-clothes.  It  is  near  the  bath-room  window,  so  that  when 
the  closet-door  is  open  the  contents  will  be  plainly  in  view. 

There  is  a  large  window  in  one  side  of  the  kitchen,  which 
should  be  placed  three  feet  from  the  floor,  so  as  to  admit  of  a 
table  being  set  under  it.  If  the  kitchen  stove  were  placed 
next  the  wall  separating  the  kitchen  and  sitting-room,  it  could 
be  piped  across  to  the  kitchen  flue,  and  in  that  way  leave  the 
wall  space  adjacent  to  that  flue  and  near  the  bath-tub  for  the 
kitchen  sink.  This  would  bring  all  the  plumbing  work  together. 
At  one  side  of  this  sink  could  be  placed  a  well-pump,  and  a 
cistern-pump  at  the  other. 

In  the  rear  of  the  kitchen  are  a  porch  and  a  pantry.  We  go 
down  cellar  directly  from  the  kitchen.  Over  the  headway  of 
the  cellar  stairs  could  be  placed  a  closet  for  various  stores,  such 
as  canned  fruit.  This  closet,  of  course,  would  be  connected 
with   the  pantry,  as   shown.     The  necessity  for  head  room  in 


i6o 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


FRONT   ELEVATION. 


going  into  the  cellar  would  make  it  necessary  to  place  the  floor 
of  this  closet  three  or  four  feet  above  the  pantry  floor. 

On  the  side  of  the  pantry  opposite  this  closet  are  two  cup- 
boards, with  doors  and  shelves  above  and  below.  There  is  a 
place  for  a  flour-bin  or  flour-barrel  under  the  dough-board,  and 
space  for  an  ice-box  next  to  it.  This  box  should  have  a  drain 
connecting  with  the  outside.     It  is  intended  to  have  the  cellar 

under  the  kitchen  and  bath-room, 
though  it  might  be  extended 
under  the  sitting-room  also.  This 
part  of  the  cellar  might  be  used 
as  a  fuel-room,  and  thus  dis- 
pense with  wood  and  coal  sheds. 
f5-  With  the  fuel  and  water  in  the 
house,  the  housekeeper  would  be 
saved  much  work.  Where  a 
kitchen  sink  is  provided,  it  would  be  unnecessary  even  to  carry 
out  the  dish-water. 

There  are  two  flue-stacks  in  this  building.  A  base-burner 
would  warm  the  sitting-room  and  bedroom  and  temper  the  air  of 
the  parlor.  A  grate  fire  in  the  parlor  would  complete  the  work 
of  heating  that  room. 

The  cut  of  the  exterior,  Fig.  20,  tells  its  own  story.  The 
porch  has  turned  columns,  and  a  frieze  decorated  with  scroll- 
work. The  window  seat  may  have  a  window  at  each  end,  as 
shown  in  the  floor-plan,  or  panels,  as  indicated  in  the  elevation. 
There  is  a  gable  at  the  side  and  over  the  window  seat,  which 
extends  the  full  width  of  the  sitting-room. 

Plan  No.  20  is  a  development  of  Plan  No.  19.  Without 
appurtenances  it  cost  $1,200. 

Plan   No.   21    is  an   enlargement  of   No.    19.      The    pantry 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


161 


and  china-room  are  arranged  differently.  The  doors  leading 
into  the  china-room  are  glazed  in  their  upper  panels  with 
cathedral  glass.  This  obscures  the  view,  and  gives  sufficient 
light.  These  doors  were  hung  on  double-spring  hinges,  so  fre- 
quently mentioned.     Over  the    dining-room  and  chamber  are 


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two  finished  bedrooms.  They  are  arranged  in  the  high  part 
of  the  roof,  and,  with  dormers,  would  have  only  a  small  part  of 
the  upper  corners  clipped.  There  are  two  grates  more  than 
shown  in  Plan  No.  19.  The  stairway  arrangement  may  be 
reversed,  so  that  one  goes  to  the  second  floor  from  the  hall 
rather  than  from  the  kitchen.     This  house  cost,  with  two  fin- 


l62 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


ished  rooms  on  the  second  floor,  without  appurtenances,  as  per 
schedule  "  B,"  $1700. 

Plan  No.  22  can  be  built  and  finished  for  $800.  The  gable 
arrangement  would  be  about  the  same  as  in  Fig.  No.  20. 

Plan  No.  23  was  built,  including  everything  that  went  on 
to  the  lot,  for  $1,600. 


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Plan  No.  24,  as  per  schedule  "  B,"  cost  $1,100. 

Plan  No.  25,  without  appurtenances,  cost  $1,400. 

One-story  houses  cost  more  for  the  accommodations  which 
they  afford  than  two-story  buildings,  for  the  reason  that  it  takes 
the  same  foundation  and  roof  for  a  one-story  house  that  it 
does  for  one  of  two  stories  of  the  same  area  on  the  first  floor. 
In  fact,  it  usually  takes  more  foundation  and   roof  for  a  one- 


FLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


16- 


story  house  than  it  does  for  a  two-story,  for  the  reason  that  it 
covers  more  ground  space  than  would  be  required  for  the  same 
or  a  larger  number  of  rooms  in  the  two  floors. 

No.   26.     This    is    a    peculiar   type    of  a    one-story   house. 
There  is  a  servant's  room  over  the  kitchen.     It  is  a  very  com- 


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fortable  arrangement.  The  bath-room  stands  between  the  two 
bedrooms.  There  is  a  grate  in  each  of  the  rooms  on  the 
lower  floor.  The  kitchen-sink  arrangements  are  not  altogether 
satisfactory.  It  is  a  plan  which  will  never  be  very  popular.  It 
is  designed  to  be  finished  with  shingles  for  the  outside  wall. 
The  structure  will  cost  about  two  thousand  dollars,  as  per 
schedule  "  B." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

SIDE-HALL    PLANS. PLANS   WITH    BEDROOM    ON    FIRST   FLOOR. 

PLAN  No.  27  is  a  side-hall  plan  with  a  bedroom  on  the  first 
floor.  The  parlor  and  sitting-room  have  views  directly  to 
the  front.  The  dining-room  has  a  bay  end,  and  a  good  china- 
passage  to  the  kitchen.  There  is  a  rear  side-hall  which  is 
desired  by  a  good  many  people  in  building  a  large  house.  On 
the  second  floor  are  four  principal  chambers,  which  are  entirely 
cut  off  from  the  rear  bedroom,  by  bolting  a  door  into  the  rear 
hall.  The  bath-room  is  measurably  detached  from  the  rest  of 
the  house,  which  fact  will  have  the  quality  of  satisfying  people 
who  are  suspicious  of  all  plumbing.  This  building,  without 
appurtenances,  according  to  schedule  "  B,"  cost  about  three 
thousand  dollars. 

Plan  No.  28  has  over  two  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  porch 
attached  to  it.  It  is  a  side-hall  plan,  with  the  entrance  to  the 
front.  In  it  the  combination  stair  idea  is  carried  out  in  a  way 
previously  mentioned,  but  not  before  illustrated.  The  rear 
stairway  is  direct  as  to  the  servant's  room,  and  combined  with 
the  central  stairway  only  for  entrance  to  the  main  part  of  the 
house  on  the  second  floor.  The  arrangement  of  rooms  on  the 
first  floor  makes  this  plan  suitable  for  use  by  people  who  enter- 
tain in  a  small  way.  This  is  the  plan  to  which  reference  is 
made  in  the  special  kitchen  article,  excepting  that  there  is  a 
change  in  the  position  of  the  cellar  stairway.  There  are  two 
closets  and  a  wash-stand  in  the  hall  which  connects  the  kitchen 

164 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


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1 66 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


and  sitting-room.     This  building,  without  appurtenances,  as  per 
schedule  "  B,"  cost  between  $2,800  and  $2,900. 

In  Plan  No.  29  the  hall  is  in  front,  yet  the  entrance  is  at  the 
side.  The  stairway  is  at  the  rear  end  of  the  hall.  A  little  door 
is  shown  at  the  rear  of  the  vestibule,  leading  under  the  stairway. 
The  closet  is  not  very  high,  yet  it  is  high  enough  to  use  as  a 


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place  to  store  a  baby  carriage  or  a  small  tricycle.  The  arrange- 
ment of  the  entrance  and  the  stairs  admits  of  the  use  of  the 
hall  as  a  room.  In  the  house  as  constructed,  there  is  a  window 
seat  in  the  octagon  end.  There  is  a  double  railing  coming  down 
into  the  hall.  A  part  of  the  stairway  is  open  on  each  side. 
Opposite  is  a  grate.  There  are  also  grates  in  the  parlor  and 
sitting-room.     By  a  little  change  in  the  kitchen  arrangement,  a 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


167 


bedroom  could  be  placed  back  of  the  sitting  room,  and  the  rear 
and  cellar  stairway  would  occupy  measurably  the  same  position 
as  now.  The  kitchen  would  have  to  be  a  little  narrower,  and, 
if  desired,  might  be  longer.  The  pantry  and  kitchen  could  both 
be  pushed  a  little  to  the  left  of  where  they  now  stand.     In  this 


way  space  for  a  bedroom  could  be  provided  back  of  the  sitting- 
room,  with  possibly  only  a  small  projection  to  the  right.  The 
rear  vestibule  could  be  cut  out  of  the  corner  of  the  bedroom. 
To  prevent  this  from  injuring  the  appearance  of  the  room,  a 
corresponding  space,  to  the  left  of  this  vestibule,  could  be 
arranged  into  passage  and  closets  for  the  bedroom  and  sitting- 
room.  In  this  event  the  rear  bedroom  wall  would  extend  past 
the  rear   kitchen  wall.      Attention  is  called  to   the  size  of  the 


1 68 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


closets  on  the  second  floor.  By  a  slightly  different  arrangement 
of  the  bath-room  an  additional  bedroom  could  be  provided. 
There  is  a  large  attic  over  the  front  part  of  this  house.  The 
entire  side  walls  are  covered  with  shingles  dipped  in  stain. 
There  is  a  mild  form  of  octagon  tower  over  the  front  chamber. 
The  building,  as  here  planned,  cost  $2,600,  without  the  appur- 
tenances mentioned  in  schedule  "  B." 


No.  30.  Plans  with  bedrooms  on  the  first  floor  are  fre- 
quently wanted.  This  requirement  makes  an  ugly  problem.  It 
increases  the  number  of  rooms  on  the  first  floor,  and  oftentimes 
leaves  a  less  number  to  be  provided  on  the  second  story.  In 
this  plan,  including  the  bath  and  reception-hall,  there  are  six 
rooms  on  the  first  floor  and  three  on  the  second,  hence  a  good 
deal  of  waste.  There  is  a  sink  in  the  rear  hall,  second  floor, 
with  water  supply  over  it,  to  obviate  the  necessity  of  carrying 
slops  down  stairs.      Cost  of  building  in  brick,  $3,000. 

Fief.  21  is  an  elevation. 


FLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES.  1 69 


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170  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

No.  31.  This  plan  is  of  the  same  general  character  as  No. 
27,  but  is  somewhat  contracted.  There  is  a  wash-stand  in 
the  little  room  on  the  stair  landing,  a  few  steps  above  the  recep- 
tion-hall floor.  This  building,  without  appurtenances,  cost 
$2,400,  as  per  schedule  "  B." 

Fig.  22  is  an  elevation  of  this  plan. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

MISCELLANEOUS     COLLECTION.  SHORT     DESCRIPTIONS     OF     ELEVEN 

HOUSE       PLANS.  — »-  VARYING       COSTS.  SQUARE       PLANS.  ONE- 
CHIMNEY    PLANS. REAR    AND    SIDE    HALL. 

A  GREAT  many  people  like  a  side-hall  entrance,  as  well  as 
one  in  front.  Plan  No.  32  gives  it.  On  the  second  floor 
there  are  a  large  number  of  bedrooms.  The  rear  stairway  comes 
up  in  a  manner  to  separate  the  servant's  room  from  the  front 
part  of  the  house.  A  double  store-closet  is  shown  on  the  rear 
of  the  second  floor.  The  front  part  of  this  closet  may  be  left 
unlocked  and  the  other  portion  made  secure.  The  bath-room  in 
the  rear  has  direct  connection  with  the  water  pipes  as  they  come 
up  from  the  kitchen.  All  the  bedrooms  have  the  proper  plan 
for  furniture.  This  house,  without  appurtenances,  as  per  sched- 
ule "  B,"  was  built  for  about  $4,000. 

Plan  No.  33  was  used  three  times  in  one  season,  in  slightly 
differing  forms,  at  a  cost  varying  from  $2,800  to  $3,600,  without 
appurtenances,  as  per  schedule  "  B."  In  the  matter  of  floor 
space  it  is  not  an  economical  house.  It  makes  a  very  pretty 
arrangement  of  rooms  on  the  first  floor.  There  are  five  good 
bedrooms  and  a  bath-room  on  the  second  floor.  The  rear  part 
is  measurably  separated  from  the  front  by  a  door.  A  projecting 
bay  window  from  the  family  bedroom  is  shown. 

Plan  No.  34.     This  is  another  plan  that  was  made  to  order. 

It  is  an  economical  arrangement,  and,  in   many  respects,  very 

convenient  and  satisfactory.     The  single  stairway,  passing  from 

171 


172 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


the  dining-room,  will  be  the  least  satisfactory  feature  about  the 
whole  house  to  the  majority  of  people.  However,  the  idea  in 
this  connection  is  a  good  one.  It  is  economical  in  that  it  dis- 
penses entirely  with  the  hall.  Furthermore,  this  stairway  starts 
from  a  room  which  will  be  used  less  than  any  on  the  first  floor. 


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Few  people  will  be  inconvenienced  by  the  use  of  the  dining- 
room  as  a  hall.  Part  of  this  stairway  goes  into  a  hall  lead- 
ing to  the  kitchen.  The  china-room  and  pantry  arrangements  in 
this  house  are  very  satisfactory.  On  the  second  floor  are  five 
bedrooms  and  a  bath-room.     The  hall  is  lighted  by  a  dormer 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


*73 


over  the  stairway.     This  building-,  without  appurtenances,  would 
cost  about  $2,500,  as  per  schedule  "  B." 

Plan  No.  35  is  a  house  with  a  side  entrance  for  small  boys, 
which  is  sometimes  wanted.  This  plan  meets  such  a  require- 
ment.    In  the  rear  hall  a  coat  closet  is  provided ;    also  a  rear 


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stairway.  The  vestibule  in  front  of  the  reception-hall  is  suffi- 
ciently large  to  admit  of  the  placing  of  hat  rack  and  other  vesti- 
bule furniture.  The  stairway  is  a  pretty  feature,  though  not 
satisfactory  to  all.  There  is  a  closet  in  connection  with  the 
music- room.  In  actual  construction  one  was  provided  from 
the  kitchen.  The  second  floor  is  self-explanatory.  It  was  built, 
as  per  schedule  "  B,"  for  $2,500. 


174 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


Plan  No.  36.  The  requirements  of  the  occupants  of  this 
building  are  peculiar.  A  large  number  of  bedrooms  are  required. 
Other  than  bath  and  bedrooms,  there  are  only  the  dining-room, 
parlor,  and  kitchen.  There  is  no  cellar.  There  is  a  combination 
stairway.     One  run  starts  from  the  front,  and  the  other  from  the 


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rear.     The  landing  is  in  the  centre  on  the  second  floor.     Cost 
of  this  building,  $2,000,  as  per  schedule  "  B." 

In  No.  37  the  stairway  is  back  of  the  reception-hall.  It  is 
distinctively  in  the  centre  of  the  house,  and  is  accessible  from 
all  rooms.  There  is  a  passage  through  two  doors  from  the 
kitchen  to  the  front  part  of  the  house.     There  is  also  the  usual 


PLAXS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


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176 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


pantry  passage.  On  the  second  floor  there  are  four  good  bed- 
rooms, a  linen  closet,  and  a  bath-room.  The  cost  of  the 
building,  without  appurtenances,  would  be  about  $2,100,  as  per 
schedule  "  B." 

Plan    No.    38    is    another  square,   one-chimney  plan.      The 
house  is  broad  enough  so  that  it  gives  a  little  better  bath-room 


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arrangement  than  is  shown  in  some  of  the  narrower  plans.  The 
great  drawback  to  this  house  is  that  there  is  only  one  stairway, 
and  that  in  front.  If  a  cellar  is  wanted,  the  stairway  can  go 
down  under  the  main  stairs. 

Plan  No.  39.  This  plan  has  six  bedrooms  on  the  second 
floor.  The  hall  on  the  first  floor  has  two  closets  in  front.  There 
is  a  projecting  bay  window  from  the  first  landing  of  the  front 
stairway. 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


177 


This  house  was  built  for  a  minister.  The  library  room  is 
shown.  Projecting-  from  it  is  a  window-seat.  On  one  side  is  a 
large  fireplace.  The  dining-room  is  separated  from  the  front 
part  of  the  house  by  a  hall.  Both  sitting-room  and  dining-room 
have  bay  ends  of  a  form  to  give  a  view  to  the  street  in  front. 


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The  side-hall  communicates  with  the  kitchen  as  well  as  the 
dining-room.  In  this  hall  is  a  closet,  presumably  for  the  boys. 
There  is  a  liberal  supply  of  closets  on  the  second  floor.  The 
servant's  room  is  cut  off  from  the  other  part  of  the  house.  The 
attic  is  plastered.  This  building,  without  appurtenances  described 
in  schedule  "  B,"  cost  $3,500. 


i78 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


Plan  No.  40.  The  rear  hall  with  the  side  entrance  is  the 
thing"  which  will  commend  this  house,  as  far  as  its  floor  plan  is 
concerned.  It  is  an  old-style  plan,  and  is  wasteful  of  room. 
The  building  cost  about  $3,100,  as  per  schedule  "  B." 

Plan  No.  41  is  an  eight-room  house  with  a  simple  stairway. 
The  outside  walls  are  of  brick.     It  has  a  side  entrance.     The 


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plan  is  a  fairly  good  one.  There  are  two  closets  on  the  first 
floor,  opening  from  the  hall.  There  is  an  abundant  supply  on 
the  second  floor.  The  building  cost  $3,400,  as  per  schedule 
"  B." 

Plan  No.  42  belongs  to  the  centre  hall  type,  which  is  less 
common  now  than  in  years  past.     The  parlor,  as  here  lettered, 


FIANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


179 


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CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


is  in  reality  the  sitting-room.  A  bedroom  is  shown  on  the  first 
floor.  In  each  of  the  four  principal  rooms  a  grate  is  indicated. 
A  hall  communicating  with  the  second  floor  from  the  cellar 
is  shown  in  the  rear.  The  kitchen,  pantry,  and  china-closet 
arrangements  are  such  as  have  been  fully  described   in  other 


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chapters.  The  side-porch,  next  to  the  pantry,  affords  means 
of  putting  ice  into  the  refrigerator  without  coming  into  the 
room.  The  reception- hall  and  dining-room  are  connected  by 
sliding  doors.  Five  bedrooms  and  a  bath-room  and  liberal 
closets  are  shown  on  the  second  floor.  The  front  stairway 
to  this  floor  is  broad  and  easy.  The  details  of  the  exterior 
of  this  structure  were  carefully  rendered,  and   the  appearance 


PLANS  OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  Houses.  iSl 

altogether  satisfactory.  An  outline  drawing  of  the  front  is 
shown.  Small  gables,  similar  in  design  to  the  one  in  front, 
show  from  the  sides.  The  building,  according  to  schedule  "  B," 
cost  $2,800,  without  the  appurtenances. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

EIGHT      PLANS.  EACH      SUITED       TO       FAMILY       REQUIREMENTS.  

DOUBLE      HOUSES. AN      ELABORATE      FLOOR    PLAN. A   SHINGLE 

HOUSE. A    BRICK    HOUSE. 

PLAN  No.  43,  while  not  economical  as  to  arrangement,  is 
well  suited  to  the  requirements  of  the  people  who  own  it. 
There  are  no  children.  The  lady  does  not  employ  a  servant. 
The  cost  of  the  building  would  be  about  $2,200. 

Plan  No.  44.  Double  houses  are  not  easy  to  plan  where 
they  are  very  long.  This  house  was  built,  one  part  to  live  in 
and  the  other  to  rent.  The  living  part  has  an  entrance  to  the 
front ;  and  the  rental  part  one,  removed  from  it,  at  the  side. 
The  centre  partition  is  lined  on  both  sides  with  sheathing  lath  ; 
that  is,  sheathing  with  dovetails  cut  into  it,  so  that  the  plaster- 
ing will  stick  to  it,  which  makes  it  solid,  and,  to  a  certain  extent, 
deadens  the  sound.  The  lettering  of  the  plan  clearly  indicates 
its  arrangement.  The  cost,  without  appurtenances,  as  by  sched- 
ule "  B,"  is  $5,000. 

Mo  ;t  of  the  plans  given  that  are  only  two  rooms  deep  may 
be  made  into  double  houses  by  enlarging  the  amount  of  window 
space  front  and  rear,  and  placing  the  bath-room  side  of  the 
house  on  the  exposed  side.     This  gives  direct  light. 

Plan  No.  45.  This  house  is  built  on  a  plat  of  ground 
having  about  seventy  feet  frontage.  The  side-hall  arrangements 
give  two  entirely  independent  rooms  in  front.  There  is  a  good 
closet   in   the   hall.     From   here  we   pass   to   the  dining-room, 


**mWA+s& 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


IS 


library,  or  parlor,  and  to  the  second  floor.  Only  one  stairway  is 
used.  The  pantry  and  china  arrangements  are  shown.  We 
enter  the  cellar  stairway  from  the  pantry  passage.  The  kitchen 
is  planned  according  to  the  general  principles  previously  set 
forth. 

On   the   second   floor  are   four  bedrooms  and  a  bath-room. 


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Each  room,  including  the  bath,  is  supplied  with  closets,  and 
there  is  a  linen  closet  in  the  hall.  A  stairway  leads  to  the  attic, 
in  which  there  is  an  abundance  of  room  for  other  chambers, 
should  they  be  needed.  '  The  building,  without  appurtenances, 
according  to  schedule  "  B,"  cost  $2,100.  Fig.  24  is  a  photo- 
graphic view  of  exterior. 

Plan  No.  46   is  not  greatly  different  in  its  general  arrange- 


1 84 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


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PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


1S5 


ment  from  others  that  have  been  shown.  The  details,  however, 
are  more  complete,  and  it  is  generally  more  satisfactory  than  other 
houses  of  the  same  type.  The  vestibule  arrangement  in  the 
front  hall  is  very  satisfactory.  There  is  a  window-seat  under  the 
stairs.  The  china-room  arrangement  is  convenient.  It  has  an 
open  stairway  running  out  of  it  to  the  rear  of  the  second  story. 


^ocpNcH  6 


There  is  a  laundry  in  the  basement,  and  large  closets  on  the 
second  floor. 

Fig.  25  is  an  elevation.  It  is  a  very  picturesque  house. 
Cost,  as  by  schedule  "  B."  $3,400. 

Plan  47.  This  house  was  designed  for  a  west  frontage.  It 
has  a  porch  in  front,  a  pagoda  extension  on  the  south  side,  and 
a  carriage-porch  on  the  north  side.  There  are  a  set  of  storm 
doors  and  double  inside  doors.  The  reception-hall  is  thirteen 
by  fifteen  feet  in  the  clear.     At  one  side  of- this  hall  is  a  grate. 


i86 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


There  is  an  archway  over  the  front  window.  On  each  side  of 
the  mantel  are  shown  seats,  which  may  be  treated  as  a  part 
thereof. 

The  stairway  may  be  seen  from  this  reception -hall.  It  is 
separated  from  it  merely  by  an  open-work  screen.  The  parlor 
connects  with  the  reception-hall  by  sliding  doors.  It  has  a  large 
window  in  front,  and  two  smaller  ones  at  the  side. 


The  parlor  connects  with  the  sitting-room  by  sliding  doors, 
as  shown.  There  is  a  similar  sliding  door  connecting  the  stair- 
hall  and  sitting-room.  Thus  the  reception-hall  and  stair-hall, 
sitting-room  and  parlor,  may  be  thrown  together. 

There  is  a  bay  end  at  the  south  side  of  the  sitting-room. 
Sliding  doors  are  not  indicated  between  the  dining-room  and 
sitting-room,  or  between  the  dining-room  and  hall.  They  could 
be  so  placed,  if  desired. 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


I87 


There  are  two  doors  from  the  sitting-room  to  the  dinino-- 
room,  one  on  each  side  of  the  fireplace.  There  is  sufficient 
wall  space  in  the  dining-room  that  these  doors  may  be  folded  out 
of  the  way.    The  library  connects  with  the  stair-hall  and  rear  hall. 


Plan  No.  47. 


Gcvi-r  c*pe- 


is^lPHoot-. 


There  is  a  large  closet  room  under  the  stairway.  In  it  is  a 
small  closet,  and  places  for  a  chest  of  drawers,  and  a  wash-stand. 
This  would  be  particularly  useful  in  case  the  library  were  to  be 
used  as  a  bedroom. 

There   is  a  door  separating  the   rear  from   the   front    hall. 


1 88  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

There  are  two  doors  between  the  kitchen  and  the  rear  hall.  The 
passageway  between  these  doors  is  lighted  by  a  window. 

The  sideboard  in  the  dining-room  is  built  into  one  end  of 
this  room.  The  windows  are  placed  about  five  feet  above  the 
floor,  and  would  look  well  of  stained  glass. 

The  kitchen  is  sixteen  by  sixteen  feet.  On  one  side  are  a 
table,  sink,  drain,  and  table,  successively  arranged  as  here 
named.  In  the  china-closet  is  an  extension  of  the  last-named 
table.  There  is  a  slide  which  cuts  off  communication  between 
the  china-closet  and  the  kitchen  when  this  table  is  not  in  use. 
In  the  china-closet  are  another  sink,  table,  etc.,  which  could  be 
used  for  washing  and  caring  for  the  china,  glass,  and  silver  that 
one  does  not  care  to  take  into  the  kitchen. 

There  is  good  ventilation  in  the  kitchen.  Back  of  the  range 
are  shown  two  flues.  A  dry-box  is  placed  on  a  level  with  the 
top  of  the  range,  and  has  openings  in  the  bottom  and  into  the 
Hue.  In  this  way,  any  articles  placed  therein  will  be  readily 
dried  and  ventilated.  The  warm  air  from  the  range  passes 
through  die  box  and  into  the  flue. 

In  the  pantry  are  a  dough-board  and  flour-bins,  a  cupboard 
for  stores,  and  one  for  utensils.  There  is  space  for  an  ice-box 
or  refrigerator  next  to  the  rear  porch.  It  has  a  drain  connection 
with  the  outside. 

The  landing  of  the  front  stairway  is  in  the  front  of  the  build- 
ing, as  shown.  The  rear  stairway  is  separated  by  a  door  from 
the  rear  hall.  In  the  bedrooms,  the  beds,  dressing-cases,  and 
wash-stands  are  indicated  on  the  plan.  The  front  chamber  has 
a  circular  window  in  front.  Each  room  can  be  entered  from  the 
hall  without  going  through  any  other  room.  There  is  a  grate 
in  each  chamber.  The  closets  are  all  very  large ;  in  each  of  the 
front  rooms  they  are  three  and  one-half  by  four  and  one-half 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


189 


feet.  In  the  south-side  chambers  one  is  three  and  one-half  by 
four  feet,  and  the  other  is  four  by  four  feet.  In  the  rear  hall 
there  is  a  large  closet  which  may  be  used  for  general  purposes. 
In  all  closets  on  this  floor  there  is  abundant  room  for  drawers, 
hooks,  shelves,  etc. 

The  bath-room  arrangement  is  somewhat  different  from  that 


-A^Tsro.^e 


in  general  use.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  water-closet  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  bath-room  proper,  though  connected  with  it  by 
a  door.  One  can  enter  either  the  bath-room  or  this  water- 
closet  room  from  the  rear  hall.  In  the  bath-room  is  a  large 
closet  in  which  may  be  arranged  a  chest  of  drawers,  and,  if 
desired,  a  ventilated  receptacle  for  soiled  linen.  This  closet  is 
lighted  by  a  window.     Cost,  as  by  schedule  "  B,"  $10,000. 


190 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


Plan  No.  48  is  of  a  house  well  suited  to  the  requirements  of 
the  people  who  live  in  it.  Fig.  26  is  a  view  of  the  exterior.  It 
is  a  shingle  house  of  a  severe  type.  The  side  projection  is  a 
combination  of  brick  and  stone.  Cost,  without  appurtenances, 
$3,400. 

Plan    No.   49,  without   appurtenances,   has   been   built   for 


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$3,400.  It  is  finished  in  both  stories  in  hard^  wood,  has  a 
front  and  rear  stairway,  and  a  side  entrance.  A  central  chimney 
contains  four  grates.  The  closet  arrangement  is  as  good  as  in 
any  plan  in  this  collection. 

Figs.  27  and  28  are  elevations.  Fig.  28  shows  how  the  con- 
servatory at  the  side  is  finished  so  as  to  appear  with,  and  as  a 
part  of,  the  porch. 


CO 

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PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES.  191 


f^DJpt  ^j^^-7 


Old©'.        F^3' 


192 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


Plan  No.  50.  This  is  a  plan  of  a  brick  house,  built,  with- 
out appurtenances,  as  per  schedule  "  B,"  for  $10,000.  The 
external  walls  are  of  selected  dark  cherry  red  brick,  laid  in  red 
mortar.  The  stone  work,  where  exposed  above  grade,  is  of 
Ohio  red  sandstone,  quarry  face.  There  is  very  little  detail  to 
the  exterior.  The  general  style  of  design  is  quiet  and  unob- 
trusive.    Red  sandstone  is  selected  to  go  with  the  brick-work 


<y-3p 


T      Plan  \\o. 


<*L  Flout 


ij^cJ  PTocn- 


in  order  to  present  a  solid  mass  of  color,  rather  than  a  varia- 
tion between  a  liofht  stone  and  brick  work.  The  interior  is 
complete  in  all  its  details ;  the  attic  is  finished  as  well  as  the 
parlor  ;  all  is  of  quartered  oak.  Over  the  butler's  pantry,  in  the 
rear  of  the  hall,  is  a  balcony.  Above  this  balcony  is  a 
large  window,  twelve  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  high,  divided  with 
narrow  mullions,  and  glazed  with  artistic  patterns  of  stained 
glass.  At  one  side  of  the  hall  is  a  large  fireplace,  with 
panelled  wood-work  above  to  ceiling.  The  sides  of  the  hall 
are   wainscoted  to  the    height    of  six    feet   with    small  panels. 


PLANS   OF  FIFTY  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


19: 


The  ceiling  is  of  oak.  The  dining-room  and  library  are  finished 
the  same  as  hall,  with  oak  ceiling  omitted.  Other  details  of 
the  plan,  in  the  light  of  what  has  been  said  in  previous  chap- 
ters, are  self-explanatory.  All  has  been  planned  according 
to  the  general  principles  set  forth.  The  butler's  pantry  is 
arranged  so  that  all  china  and  glassware  are  cared  for  in  that 
room  rather  than  in  the  kitchen.  Fig.  29  is  an  exterior  view  of 
this  plan. 


Fig.  29. 


PRACTICAL  HOUSE-BUILDING. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

PRACTICAL     POINTS.  WATER. LOCATION     OF     HOUSE     ON     LOT. 

DRAINING       THE      CELLAR.  MASON      WORK.  FOUNDATIONS.  

WALKS. PIERS. FLUES. CISTERNS. DAMP    COURSE. 

IN  this  section  of  the  book  it  is  proposed  to  consider,  in  as 
plain  a  manner  as  possible,  the  construction  of  all  the  details 
of  a  house. 

LOCATING   THE   HOUSE. 

First  is  the  placing  of  the  house  on  the  lot.  If  it  have  an 
east  or  a  west  front,  it  is  common  to  set  the  north  side  of  the 
house  within  a  few  feet  of  the  north  line.  On  a  small  lot  this 
gives  more  south  and  sun  exposure.  The  distance  the  house  is 
set  back  from  the  front  of  the  lot  depends  largely  upon  what 
one's  neighbors  have  done  or  may  do.  In  the  case  of  a  north 
or  south  frontage,  the  west  side  of  the  house  is  usually  placed 
to  the  west  line.  This  brines  the  east  side  of  the  house  in  the 
afternoon  shade.  Under  any  circumstances,  there  should  never 
be  less  than  eighteen  inches  of  space  beyond  the  north  or  west 
wall.  If  the  projection  of  cornice  is  greater,  there  should  be 
more  than  this. 

WATER. 

The  next  thine  to  do  when  one  begins  to  build,  is  to 
provide  water  for  the  builder.  This  is  from  the  city  water 
service,  if  any ;  otherwise  from  a  well.  If  a  driven  well  is 
used,   it  is  best  to  locate  it  on  the  inside  of  the  house,  near 

197 


198  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

the  kitchen  sink,  and  allow  the  builder  to  provide  a  common 
pump  for  use  during  building  operations.  The  cistern  and  well 
pumps  should  go  into  the  plumber's  contract.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary that  all  the  plumbing  contract  be  let  at  the  time  the  city 
water  service  is  supplied.  The  method  of  letting  contracts  is 
explained  in  another  part  of  the  book. 

EXCAVATING. 

In  excavating  for  a  house,  the  loam,  or  upper  strata  of  earth, 
should  be  separated  from  that  which  comes  below.  After  the 
walls  are  placed,  the  openings  around  the  outside  should  not 
be  filled  at  once  ;  certainly  not  until  the  wall  is  dry  and  the 
mortar  set.  After  this,  the  grading  and  filling  should  begin. 
The  grade  line  of  the  house  should  be  slightly  above  that  of 
the  sidewalk,  and  there  should  be  a  general  slope  to  it.  If  there 
is  an  alley  in  the  rear,  the  slope  should  be  divided  to  reach  it, 
if  possible.  The  drainage,  excavating  and  filling  connected 
with  the  plumbing,  gas  supplies,  etc.,  should  be  done  early  in 
the  building  period.  Thus  the  entire  surface  becomes  compact 
and  natural  by  the  time  the  building  is  finished.  If  it  should 
become  apparent  that  there  will  be  superfluous  earth,  it  should 
be  removed  from  the  lot. 

DRAINING. 

Where  there  is  a  clay  soil,  and  in  sections  of  the  country 
where  cellars  are  inclined  to  be  damp,  they  should  be  drained. 
This  is  done  in  various  ways  ;  usually  by  running  an  open  farm 
tile  around  and  below  the  level  of  the  cellar  wall,  which  should 
have  connection  preferably  with  a  dry  well ;  but  if  nothing  better 
presents  itself,  with  the  sewer  drain,  although  a  connection  of 
this   kind   is   not  safe.     The  air  which  will  come  into  this  drain 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  199 

from  the  sewer  will  contaminate  the  soil,  and  in  that  way  affect 
the  health  of  the  occupants  of  the  building.  In  some  instances 
a  sewer  connection  from  this  drain  is  necessary,  but  only  then 
should  it  be  used. 

Another  method  of  draining  a  cellar  is  to  excavate  below 
the  level  of  lowest  mason-work,  and  fill  in  a  depth  of  about 
twelve  inches  with  broken  stone,  which  is  given  a  drain  connec- 
tion with  proper  outlet.  The  space  between  stone  particles  acts 
as  a  drain. 

MASON-WORK. 

The  mason-work  should  be  of  brick  or  stone.  First,  we  will 
consider  that  of  brick,  which  is  common  to  frame  houses  and 
is  sometimes  used  for  brick  buildings.  The  foundations, 
walks,  piers,  and  flues  should  be  of  hard  burned  brick.  All 
should  be  laid  wet,  excepting  in  freezing 
weather,  with  lime  mortar.  The  outside  ex- 
posed brick  should  be  preferably  of  a  dark 
cherry-red  color,  laid  in  white  or  red  mortar. 
The  latter  is  in  most  general  use.  The  joints 
for  exposed  work  should  be  in  form  as  indi- 
cated in  Fig.  30  ;  in  mason's  parlance,  these  are 
called  "  rodded  joints."  The  joint  is  first  cut  down  from  above, 
with  trowel,  then  the  rod  is  placed  along  the  upper  edge  of  the 
joint,  and  the  mortar  is  cut  away  with  a  knife  in  the  form  indi- 
cated. Then  the  vertical  joints  are  trimmed  in  the  same  way  ; 
thus  no  mortar  projects  beyond  the  face  of  the  brick.  This 
form  of  joint  is  desirable  for  all  kinds  of  exposed  work, 
where  one  desires  better  work  than  is  usual  in  foundations  and 
other  exposed  brick  work.  Brick  work  should  have  struck  or 
common  joints   in   the  cellar  and   outside  exposed  walls,  only 


200  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

where  small  cost  is  of  great  importance.  Brick  work  should  be 
left  rough  where  it  is  desired  to  plaster.  Foundation  walls  and 
piers  usually  continue  from  sixteen  to  thirty  inches  above 
grade  ;  twenty  or  twenty-four  inches  is  most  common.  On  this 
is  placed  a  sill  in  most  frame  houses.  Outside  walls  and  piers 
generally  begin  from  eighteen  to  thirty  inches  below  grade  line, 
where  not  influenced  by  the  cellar.  In  an  ordinarily  cold  climate 
the  freezing  line  is  four  or  five  feet.  Eighteen  inches  or  two 
feet  is  usual,  however,  in  the  construction  of  frame  buildings, 
and  the  results  are  not  unsatisfactory.  A  damp-course  of  slate 
or  hard  limestone  is  sometimes  placed  just  above  the  grade  line, 
to  prevent  the  passage  of  moisture  from  the  brick  wall  below  to 
that  above.  These  general  statements  as  to  brick  work  apply 
alike  to  that  used  in  brick  and  frame  buildings,  as  do  also  the 
statements  as  to  interior  walls,  chimneys,  etc.,  which  follow. 

To  prevent  the  passage  of  moisture  through  brick  walls  below 
grade  from  the  outside,  a  coating  of  Portland  cement  is  some- 
times used.  Coal-tar  is  also  used,  but  is  not  as  good  as  the 
cement. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

BRICK    FOUNDATIONS. LAYING  BRICK. COLORED  MORTARS. COL- 
ORED   BRICKS. BRICK    VENEERING. HOT-AIR    FLUES. DETAILS 

OF      BRICK      CONSTRUCTION.  CHIMNEYS     AND     FLUES. HOLLOW 

WALLS. CELLAR. ASH-PITS. GRATES. 

A  BRICK  wall  under  a  frame  house  is  ordinarily  nine  inches 
thick;  that  is,  it  is  called  a  nine-inch  wall.  In  reality,  it 
is  the  thickness  of  the  length  of  a  brick.  Under  these  walls  are 
placed  footings.  For  a  two-story  frame  house  there  are  usually 
two  footings  of  two  courses  each  projecting  two  inches.  Thus 
a  nine-inch  wall  would  have  the  bottom  footing  seventeen  inches 
wide.  In  ordinary  American  brick  work  there  is  what  is  called 
a  bond  to  each  seventh  course.  The  bond  is  made  by  laying 
the  brick  crosswise  the  wall  rather  than  lengthwise.  In  that  way 
it  ties  or  bonds  the  wall  together  in  the  direction  of  its  length. 
Below  grade,  where  the  brick  work  is  not  exposed,  the  bond  is 
made  by  laying  a  continuous  course  of  brick  in  this  way.  Above 
the  grade,  the  bond  is  made  by  laying  each  alternate  brick  across 
the  wall.  This  is  called  a  header  and  stretcher  bond.  The 
stretcher  is  the  brick  which  lies  lengthwise  the  wall  in  the  com- 
mon way,  and  the  header  is  the  one  which  shows  its  head  and 

runs  crosswise  the  wall  to  form  the  bond.     Thus  there  is  a  con- 

• 

tinuous  row  of  alternating  headers  and  stretchers  in  the  bond 

course,    which    occurs,    as    said    before,    each    seventh    course. 

Another  bond,  by  some  brick-layers  called  the  American  bond, 

does  not  show  on  the  outside.     The  corners  of  the  inside  of  the 

outer  row  of  bricks  are  clipped,  so  that  the  bond  brick  runs  part 


202  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

way  into  the  outside  course,  and  thus  is  out  of  sight.  It  is  an 
artificial  arrangement  and  not  satisfactory ;  it  is  not  good  con- 
struction. The  header  and  stretcher  bond  is  the  best  for 
exposed  work,  where  both  appearance  and  solidity  are  to  be 
considered.  There  are  other  forms  of  bond,  —  the  old  English 
and  the  Flemish,  —  but  they  need  not  be  considered  here. 

All  brick  should  be  thoroughly  "slushed"  with  mortar; 
that  is,  all  spaces  between  brick  should  be  thoroughly  filled. 
The  ideal  condition  would  be  to  have  all  brick  excepting  the 
exposed  faces  entirely  surrounded  by  mortar. 

The  selection  of  the  brick  for  the  exposed  fronts  in  a  frame 
as  well  as  a  brick  house  should  be  made  before  the  brick  work 
is  begun  ;  at  least  a  large  supply  should  be  selected  and  piled 
up.  While  the  brick  cannot  all  be  of  the  same  shade,  different 
shades  can  be  selected  for  different  walls  —  a  lighter  shade  for 
a  north  wall,  and  a  darker  for  a  south  wall,  a  different  shade  for 
an  east  and  a  west  wall.  Very  slight  variations  can  be  made  in 
the  ells  and  projections.  This  would  apply  to  pressed,  stock, 
or  common  brick,  though  pressed  brick  is  usually  selected  be- 
fore delivery. 

The  best  color  for  exposed  work  is  a  dark  cherry  red.  The 
best-appearing  work  with  indifferent  brick  can  be  made  with 
the  use  of  a  reddish  brown  mortar.  The  use  of  this  kind  of 
mortar  is  increasing.  White  putty  mortar  is  made  in  the  ordi- 
nary way,  excepting  that  white  sand,  similar  to  that  from  Lake 
Pontchartrain,  rather  than  gray  sand,  is  used.  It  contains  more 
lime  than  ordinary  mortar.     The  mortar  is  said  to  be  richer. 

Black  brick  are  made  by  heating  and  then  dipping  in  coal- 
tar.  Enamelled,  glazed,  and  colored  brick  can  be  purchased  in 
the  larger  markets  as  desired.  Various  forms  of  ornamental 
brick  work  are  possible  even  where  only  the  common  brick  are 


PRACTICAL    HOUSE-BUILDING.  203 

used.  Moulded  pressed  brick  are  quite  common,  and  the 
results  of  their  use  very  satisfactory. 

Brick  veneering  is  not  unusual  in  sections  of  the  country 
where  brick  is  very  expensive  and  the  effect  of  a  brick  house 
desired.  It  is  a  four-inch  brick  wall  anchored  to  a  frame  struc- 
ture. The  anchoring  is  sometimes  accomplished  by  driving 
twenty-penny  nails  into  wood-work  in  a  way  to  project  into 
joints. 

Hot-air  flues  in  brick  walls  are  sometimes  tin-lined,  though 
this  is  not  necessary  when  they  are  smoothly  plastered,  providing 
it  is  possible  to  make  them  eight  inches  square.  If  they  cannot 
be  made  deeper  than  the  width  of  a  brick,  four  inches,  they 
should  be  tin-lined.  A  four-inch  hot-air  flue  can  be  placed  in  a 
nine-inch  wall  by  setting  the  two  outside  rows  of  brick  on  edge. 

Hollow  walls  have  not  been  regarded  with  great  favor  during 
recent  years,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  difficult  to  secure  their 
proper  construction.  A  hollow  wall  is  usually  twelve  inches 
in  thickness,  with  the  middle  course  of  brick  omitted  excepting 
at  the  corners  and  adjacent  to  openings.  Suitable  ties  are 
placed  across  the  open  space. 

CELLAR. 

It  now  is  in  order  to  consider  various  features  of  interior 
brick  work  and  details  which  come  in  connection  therewith. 
Cellars  are  usually  from  seven  to  eight  feet  deep.  As  this  does 
not  give  all  the  height  necessary  for  furnace  or  other  heating 
apparatus,  it  is  usually  pitted  ;  that  is,  it  is  let  down  into  the 
cellar  floor,  and  a  brick  area  built  around  the  opening  to  the 
furnace-door.  Because  of  the  necessity  for  pitting  the  furnace, 
the  walls  of  the  house  adjacent  thereto  should  continue  eighteen 
inches  below  the  level  of  other  walls. 


204  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

Walls  inside  of  cellar  should  continue  to  the  top  of  joist. 
This  completely  separates  the  different  compartments  of  the 
cellar,  or  from  that  part  of  the  house  where  there  is  no  cellar. 

There  should  be  a  man-hole  opening  to  the  parts  under  the 
house  where  there  is  no  cellar. 

Lintels  or  wooden  supports  should  be  provided  over  all 
openings  in  cellar,  and  over  all  openings  in  inside  brick  walls. 

Wooden  brick  should  be  provided  and  built  in  where  it  is 
necessary  to  attach  wood  work  to  brick  work.  Usually  this  is 
about  two  feet  six  inches  apart  in  a  vertical  or  horizontal  direc- 
tion. The  wooden  brick  should  be  the  thickness  of  the  brick 
itself  and  the  mortar  joints ;  that  is,  there  should  be  no  mortar 
above  or  below  a  wooden  brick.  Iron  ventilators  should  be 
provided  ;  one  in  each  outside  wall  under  each  room  where  cellar 
windows  are  not  provided.  Windows  are  not  usually  provided 
where  there  is  no  cellar. 

CHIMNEYS. 

It  is  known  that  wood-work  should  not  come  directly  in  con- 
tact with  chimneys.  The  framework  should  never  rest  on  a 
chimney.  There  are  reasons  for  this  other  than  those  which 
have  a  regard  for  safety  from  fire,  one  of  which  is  that  the  chim- 
ney is  not  liable  to  settle.  If  it  does  not,  the  shrinkage  of  the 
wood-work,  which  in  a  two-story  frame  house  will  sometimes 
amount  to  two  inches  in  the  height  of  the  building,  makes  a 
high  place  around  the  flues,  where  the  frame  comes  in  contact 
with  or  rests  on  the  chimney.  All  chimney-stacks  should  extend 
above  highest  point  of  ridge  of  roof,  and  the  extreme  tops  should 
be  laid  in  Portland  cement.  All  the  exposed  brick  of  the  chim- 
ney should  be  hard-burned.  If  due  regard  were  paid  to  these 
points,   there   would   be    no    rickety   chimney-tops.      All    flues 


PR  A  CTICAL   HO  USE-B  U1LDING. 


:o- 


o 


should  be  thoroughly  plastered  on  the  inside.  If  chimneys 
were  plastered  on  the  outside,  wherever  they  come  in  contact 
with  the  wood-work,  the  complaint  of  fires  from  defective  flues 
would  be  hushed. 

Fig.  3 1  illustrates  the  common  form  of  constructing  a  chim- 
ney breast  where  a  grate  is  to  be  used.  The  flues  are  eight 
and  one-half  inches  square.  A  passage 
to  the  ash-pit  is  shown.  The  grate  open- 
ing is  two  feet  wide  ;  the  jambs  on  each 
side  are  one  foot  six  inches  wide  ;  thus  the 
entire  width  of  the  breast  is  five  feet. 
Other  dimensions  as  indicated.  Where 
there  are  grates  on  two  floors  of  the  house, 
one  above  the  other,  or  where  it  is  desirable 
for  any  reason  to  have  a  flue  pass  around  a 
grate,  it  is  necessary  that  the  breast  should 
be  five  feet  wide.  It  is  clear  that  the  orate 
from  below  must  have  its  own  flue  out  to 

the  top  of  the  chimney.  Thus  the  grate  flue  from  the  first 
story  must  pass  around  the  grate  of  the  second  story,  if  there  be 
one.  If  there  is  no  grate  above,  or  if  it  is  not  desired  to  pass 
a  flue  around  the  first-story  grate,  the  chimney  breast  need  be 
only  four  feet  wide  ;  that  is,  it  would  have  the  usual  two-feet 
opening  to  the  grate,  and  twelve  rather  than  eighteen  inch  jambs 
on  each  side.  On  one  side  of  the  dotted  line  is  indicated  flue 
construction  for  a  brick  wall,  and  on  the  other  for  a  wood  wall. 

The  hearth  should  rest  on  what  is  called  a  trimmer  arch, 
which  is  made  of  brick.  It  springs  from  the  chimney  breast  to 
the  header  of  wood  in  front.  It  is  four  inches  in  thickness.  It 
is  laid  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  at  the  proper  time  is  filled  on  the 
top  with  concrete  by  the  mantel-setter.     In  case  a  grate  on  the 


206 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


second    floor  connects  with   the   ash-pit,   one   of  the  flues  at 

the  side  is  used  for  this  purpose. 

Fig.  32  indicates  a  common  form  of  corner  grate.     The  flues 

in  this  as  well  as  Fig.  31  are  drawn  close  together  and  come  out 
through  the  attic  and  roof  in  a  smaller 
stem.  There  should  be  distinct  separation 
of  flues. 

Ash-pits  are  frequently  made  of  four- 
inch  brick  walls  strengthened  by  brick 
pilasters.  These  pits  are  usually  from 
three  to  four  feet  in  depth  and  the  width 
of  the  chimney  breast,  and  nearly  as  high 
as  the  depth  of  the  cellar.  Where  more 
than  one  grate  empties  into  an  ash-pit,  it 

is  common  to  divide  it  into   compartments,   one   for  each  fire. 

The  top  of  the  pit  is  crowned  with  a  brick  arch.     Ash-dumps 

are  sometimes  provided  for  the  grate,  depending,  of  course,  upon 

the  kind  of  grate  used,  and  ash-pit  doors  of  iron   for  the  pits 

themselves. 

OUTSIDE   CELLAR-WAY. 

The  side  walls  of  an  outside  cellar-way  should  continue  to 
the  bottom  of  cellar.  It  should  be  floored  the  same  as  the 
cellar  itself. 

AREAS. 

Areas  of  brick  should  be  provided  around  all  cellar  openings 
that  continue  below  grade.  The  bottoms  of  these  areas  should 
be  floored  with  paving-brick.  This  is  better  than  cement,  as  it 
admits  of  natural  drainage. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

STONE     MASONRY.  CUT     STONE. TERRA     COTTA. PRIVY    VAULTS. 

CISTERNS.  FILTERS     FOR     CISTERNS. BRICK     PAVEMENTS. 

CEMENT    PAVEMENTS. 

STONE  foundations  for  dwelling-houses  are  usually  made  of 
native  stone,  and  anything  that  may  be  said  here  must  ne- 
cessarily conform  to  general  rather  than  special  conditions.  The 
best  stone  that  can  be  used  for  this  purpose  is  hard,  non-absorbent 
limestone.  There  are  many  varieties  of  stone  conglomerates 
throughout  the  country  which  are  valuable  for  foundation  uses. 
Stone  should  be  laid  up  in  lime  mortar  in  the  direction  of  its 
natural  bed  in  the  quarry,  with  a  sufficiency  of  bond  stone. 
For  ordinary  dwelling-house  work  there  should  be  at  least  one 
footing  eight  inches  in  depth,  and  six  inches  projection  on  each 
side  of  the  wall.  Stone  walls  for  foundations  are  usually  made 
not  less  than  eighteen  inches  in  thickness.  It  is  not  easy  to  lay 
a  good  stone  wall  less  than  eighteen  inches  in  thickness.  While 
the  same  number  of  cubic  feet  of  stone  work  may  cost  less  than 
brick  work,  a  stone  foundation  ordinarily  would  cost  more  than 
one  of  brick  for  the  reason  that  a  brick  wall  does  not  have  to  be 
so  thick.  It  usually  takes  about  half  the  number  of  cubic  feet 
of  brick  work  that  it  does  of  stone  work  to  answer  the  same 
purpose.  Where  stone  is  available  at  low  cost  it  is  best  to  use 
it.  Interior  brick  walls  may  rest  on  stone  footings.  The  inside 
of  stone  walls  should  be  neatly  pointed  after  other  work  has 

been   finished.      Stone  work  above  grade   may  be   finished   in 

207 


2o8  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

many  ways  —  random  range  work,  rubble  work,  regular  course 
range  work,  etc.  After  the  other  work  has  been  finished,  the 
mortar  should  be  raked  out  a  short  distance  and  a  finish  joint 
added. 

CUT   STONE. 

Cut-stone  work  is  too  large  a  subject  to  consider  in  detail. 
There  are  several  points  which  cannot  be  overlooked.  There 
should  be  drips  cut  under  all  projections,  so  that  the  water  will 
not  run  down  the  other  stone  or  brick  work  and  stain  it.  A 
drip  is  merely  a  little  V-shaped  channel  cut  on  the  under  side 
of  the  stone  work.  They  are  found  on  the  under  side  of 
most  window-sills.  In  door,  window,  or  other  openings,  the 
stone  work  should  underlie  or  overlie  all  wood  work  at  least  two 
inches.  This  may  be  explained  by  stating  that  the  stone  win- 
dow-sill should  underlie  the  wood  sill  two  inches,  and  the 
window  cap  should  overlie  the  wood  cap  at  least  two  inches. 
Generally  speaking,  coping  should  project  on  each  side  of  the 
wall  about  two  inches.  Sills  should  extend  at  least  one  inch 
beyond  the  face  of  the  wall.  Window-sills  should  be  no  less 
than  five  inches  in  thickness.  Door-sills  should  generally  be 
about  seven  or  eight  inches,  and  extend  at  least  one  inch  beyond 
the  face  of  the  wall,  and  through  its  full  thickness.  The  water 
table  of  the  stone  foundation  usually  forms  the  window  cap  of 
the  cellar  windows,  and  the  cap  course,  which  comes  at  the 
grade  line,  the  cellar  window-sills.  In  this  case  it  is  necessary 
that  the  stone  should  run  farther  into  the  wall  where  the  open- 
ings occur. 

Stone  steps  are  not  over  six  and  one-half  to  seven  and  one- 
half  inches  in  thickness,  with  from  nine  to  twelve  inch  treads. 
They  underlie  and  lap  about  one  inch,  and  have  walls,  the  same 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  209 

material  as  the  foundation,  for  lower  supports.  These  walls 
should  go  to  the  full  depth  of  the  house  walls  with  which  they 
come  in  contact.  Thus  there  is  no  danger  of  settling.  Stone 
steps  are  frequently  used  in  the  front  of  the  yard  from  the  side- 
walk to  the  ofrade  level  where  there  is  considerable  elevation. 
In  such  cases  it  is  necessary  to  use  stone  side  pieces  for  the 
steps,  to  prevent  caving  and  to  make  a  neat  finish.  Where 
flagging  is  cheap,  it  is  well  to  use  it  for  walks  and  porch  floors. 

TERRA-COTTA   WORK. 

Terra  cotta  is  the  perfection  of  brick-making.  It  is  the  only 
building  material  which  is  not  affected  by  changes  of  tempera- 
ture, or  other  natural  or  artificial  conditions  to  which  the  build- 
ing may  be  subject.  It  may  be  described  as  being  a  very  plastic 
material ;  that  is,  anything  can  be  done  with  it.  It  can  be 
worked  into  any  form  that  is  desired,  excepting  long  lintels,  and 
even  in  that  case  there  are  means  of  arriving  at  the  desired 
result  and  giving  a  lintel  form  in  a  very  proper  manner.  Orna- 
mental terra  cotta  is  modelled  by  artists  before  being  burned, 
and  the  best  results  may  naturally  be  expected. 

PRIVY   VAULT. 

The  size  of  the  privy  vault  is  usually  three  and  one-half  by 
four  and  one-half  feet,  elliptical,  and  from  ten  to  twenty  feet 
deep,  according  to  the  character  of  the  soil.  Usually  it  is  walled 
up  with  four-inch  dry  brick  wall.  Piers  should  be  provided  at 
corners  for  privy  building.  In  some  instances  it  is  required  that 
the  privy  vault  should  be  made  water-tight.  In  that  case  it 
should  be  built  the  same  as  a  cistern,  with  round  bottom  and 
cemented  interior  surface.  When  it  is  desired  to  connect  the 
privy  vault  with  the  sewer,  it  should  be  cemented  in  the  manner 


2IO 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


just  described,  with  a  siphon  vitrified  pipe  connection  with  the 
drain  to  the  sewer.  The  siphon  prevents  solid  rubbish,  which 
may  be  thrown  into  the  vault,  from  getting  into  the  drain  and 
clogging  it. 

CISTERN. 

The  cistern  is  generally  located  near  the  rear  kitchen  wall, 
say  ten  or  twelve  feet  therefrom.  The  walls,  arch,  and  neck  are 
usually  four  inches  in  thickness  when  capacity  of  cistern  does 
not  exceed  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  barrels.  Otherwise  the 
brick  work  mentioned  should  be  eight  inches  in  thickness.  The 
brick  should  be  laid  in  domestic  cement,  and  smoothly  coated 
with  Portland  cement.  It  should  be  connected  with  the  down 
spouts  of  the  housp  by  means  of  vitrified  drain-pipe,  the  same 
as  described  in  connection  with  plumbing  work,  though  it  has 
no  connection  therewith. 

The  following  table  gives  capacity  of  cisterns  of  various  sizes. 


CAPACITY  OF  CISTERN  IN  GALLONS  FOR  EACH 
TEN  INCHES  IN  DEPTH. 


DIAM. 

DIAM. 

DIAM. 

IN 

GALLONS. 

IN 

GALLONS. 

IN 

GALLONS. 

FEET. 

FEET. 

FEET. 

2 

I9.50 

6^ 

206.85 

12 

705.O 

*v* 

3°-5° 

7 

239.88 

13 

827.4 

3 

44.60 

1% 

275.4O 

14 

959-6 

zV* 

59-97 

8 

S^SS 

!5 

1,101.6 

4 

73.33 

sy2 

353-72 

20 

1,958.4 

4^ 

99.14 

9 

39°-56 

25 

3.059-9 

5 

122.40 

9lA 

461.40 

3° 

4,406.4 

5*A 

148.10 

10 

489.60 

35 

5.990.0 

6 

176.25 

1 1 

592.40 

40 

7,831.0 

PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  21 1 

FILTERS. 

There  are  various  ways  of  forming  a  filter.  One  is  to  have 
a  small  cistern  of  eight  or  ten  barrel  capacity,  located  between 
the  main  cistern  and  house.  It  should  be  divided  by  a  brick 
wall  laid  in  mortar,  but  not  cemented  on  either  side.  The  water 
enters  on  one  side,  passes  through  the  brick  wall  in  the  middle, 
and  from  thence  to  the  cistern  beyond.  Another  plan  is  to 
cement  the  wall,  leave  an  opening  at  the  bottom,  and  pack  the 
side  on  which  the  water  enters  with  charcoal,  sand,  and  Gravel. 
The  water  passes  through  this  packing  and  the  opening  below 
to  the  other  side  of  the  filter,  and  then  to  the  cistern.  Still 
another  plan  is  to  build  the  partition  as  first  described  on  the 
inside  of  the  cistern  proper.  All  of  the  water  passes  to  one 
side  of  the  divided  cistern,  and  through  the  partition  before 
being  drawn  out.  Thus  it  has  to  pass  through  the  brick  before 
it  is  to  be  drawn  out.  Still  another  filter  is  made  by  building 
what  is  called  a  beehive  in  the  bottom  of  the  cistern.  It  is  a 
beehive  form  of  brick  work,  with  the  pump  pipe  leading  to  the 
inside,  so  that  all  water  has  to  be  drawn  through  the  brick  bee- 
hive  before  it  is  pumped  out.  According  to  this  plan,  as  well  as 
the  others  mentioned,  the  water  is  strained  through  the  brick. 

It  is  best  that  the  cistern  and  independent  filter,  when  used, 
should  be  provided  with  iron  rims  and  cast-iron  covers.  It  is 
good  practice  to  connect  the  cistern  with  a  dry  well,  which  is 
constructed  the  same  as  an  open  vault  excepting  that  the  top  is 
arched.  This  dry-well  connection  is  by  means  of  five-inch 
vitrified  pipe  laid  in  the  same  manner  as  sewer  pipe. 

There  is  a  practice,  altogether  too  common  among  builders, 
of  connecting  the  cistern  overflow  with  the  vault  or  sewer. 
Nothing  could  be  worse  than  this.  The  water  is  certain  to  be 
polluted. 


2  12  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

BRICK   PAVEMENT. 

Brick  pavements  are  used  for  walks  around  the  house,  and 
sometimes  for  cellar  floors.  Cement  floors,  however,  are  better 
for  cellars.  Brick  pavement  of  all  kinds  should  be  made  of  hard- 
burned  bricks,  laid  on  a  six  or  eight  inch  bed  of  sand.  The 
brick  walk  should  not  be  laid  until  after  all  the  grading  and  fill- 
ing of  the  lot  has  been  done.  It  is  best  to  leave  the  brick  walks 
out  of  the  general  contract,  so  that  this  work  can  be  delayed 
until  after  the  house  is  finished.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  have  the 
sodding  and  the  paving  in  the  same  contract.  The  contractor 
who  attends  to  the  sodding  can  work  the  two  together  to  a 
better  advantage  than  if  the  walks  were  placed  and  the  sodding 
done  afterwards. 

CEMENT   PAVEMENT. 

Cement  pavements  are  used  for  walks  around  the  house,  and 
for  cellar  floors.  Cement  is  more  expensive  than  brick.  The 
surface  to  be  covered  should,  first,  be  levelled,  then  saturated 
with  water ;  after  which  is  laid  a  three-inch  bed  of  cement  con- 
crete, made  of  gravel,  sand,  and  cement  in  proper  proportions. 
Upon  this  is  placed  a  three-fourth-inch  layer  of  cement  mortar. 
Ordinary  American,  hydraulic  cement  may  be  used  for  concrete, 
but  for  the  three-fourth-inch  layer  nothing  but  best  Portland 
cement  should  be  considered.  Sometimes  the  cement  work  in 
the  cellar  is  done  by  the  plasterer.  Outside  cement  work  for 
walks  requires  special  skill.  In  most  large  cities  there  are  those 
who  make  a  business  of  doing  this  work.  They  have  different 
formulas  and  methods  of  reaching  the  proper  results. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

CARPENTER     WORK. FRAMING. SIZE    OF     TIMBERS. HEIGHT     OF 

STORIES.  JOIST.  STUD       WALLS.  OUTSIDE       SHEATHING.  

BUILDING-PAPER. ROOFS. OUTSIDE  FINISH. OUTSIDE  SHINGLE 

WALLS. OUTSIDE     CASINGS. WINDOWS    WITH     BOX     FRAMES. 

HINGED    OR    PIVOTED  WINDOWS. OUTSIDE  SHUTTERS. PORCHES. 

LATTICE    PORCHES. 


CARPENTER   WORK. 

IN  considering  carpenter  work,  we  will  first  take  up  framing, 
and  everything  which  pertains  to  the  outside  of  the  house. 
All  material  used  for  framing  should  be  sound,  square-edged 
material,  free  from  imperfections  tending  to  impair  its  use,  dura- 
bility, or  strength.  In  different  parts  of  the  country,  different 
kinds  of  lumber  are  standard  for  framing  purposes.  In  the 
South  and  sections  contiguous  to  it,  yellow  pine  is  used  ;  in  the 
North,  white  pine,  hemlock,  Norway  spruce,  poplar,  and  even 
hard  wood.  It  is  neither  profitable  nor  desirable  in  this  connec- 
tion to  indicate  any  particular  material ;  it  is  natural  to  use  the 
cheapest  that  is  sufficiently  strong  for  framing.  The  following 
table  indicates  the  sizes  of  timber  in  common  use  in  framing  an 
ordinary  dwelling. 


Sills,  outside  walls      .... 

6'  x  8" 

Sills,  inside  walls        .... 

6  x  8 

Lintels,  over  openings 

6  .r  10 

Girders,  over  piers      .... 

6  x  10 

Plates          

4  thick 

Rafters,  20  on  centres 

2  x  6 

Horizontal  purlins,  or  roof  supports    . 

4  x  6 

2I3 

214 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


Roof  posts 

. 

. 

4x4 

Bridging     . 

. 

. 

2x4 

Joists,  ist  tier     . 

.         .          .     2  'x  10  '  X 

16 

on  centres 

"       2d  tier 

2    X    IO   X 

16 

U                  il 

"       3d  tier     \ 

.     2  „r  8     x 

16 

u            a 

deck 

2  x  6     x 

20 

a           u 

Studs 

.     2x4.     X 

16 

a             a 

Rafters,  or  deck  joist,  16"  on  centres,  when  to  be  plastered. 

Sizes  here  given  may  not  be  adapted  to  all  sections.  There 
is  no  occasion  for  being-  arbitrary.  The  sizes  may  be  conformed 
to  the  material  which  is  ordinarily  used. 

Stories  ten  and  a  half  feet  high  are  generally  considered  the 
limit  in  an  ordinary  frame  house  at  this  time.  Nine  and  a  half 
and  ten  are  more  common.  This  is  quite  different  from  the 
general  tendency  to  high  stories  a  few  years  ago.  Certainly, 
it  is  more  rational. 


JOISTS. 

Joists  are  usually  dressed,  so  that  they  have  about  one- 
half-inch  crown  or  curve  on  their  upper  surface,  which  would 
make  the  centre  of  the  room  about  one-half  inch  higher 
than  the  sides.  They  should  be  trimmed  so  that  all  are  of 
the  same  width  and  form.  Double  trimmers  and  headers  — 
that  is,  double  joist  —  should  be  framed  around  all  chimney- 
breasts,  well-holes,  scuttles,  and  openings  in  the  wall.  In 
dwelling-house  work  they  should  be  mortised  and  tenoned 
together,  as  should  be  the  pieces  connecting  therewith.  In  very 
cheap  work  headers  and  trimmers  are  sometimes  spiked  together. 
This  is  not  good  practice.  For  very  good  work,  where  heavy 
weights  are  to  be  carried,  trimmers  and  headers  should  be  sup- 
ported on  wrought- iron  strips.  This,  however,  is  not  necessary 
in  ordinary  dwelling-house  work. 

Joists  longer  than  eighteen  feet  should  be  twelve  inches  in 


PR  A  CTICAL   HO  USE-B  UILDING. 


21 


width.  Those  running  adjacent  or  parallel  to  partition  or  other 
walls  should  be  firmly  spiked  thereto.  Double  joists  should  be 
placed  under  all  partitions  and  supports  having  no  support 
from  below.  Where  the  weight  is  extra  heavy,  the  double  joists 
should  be  trussed  by  a  two-by-four-inch  stud,  spiked  in  truss 
form,  between  them.  There  should  be  one  row  of  truss  bridging 
to  each  span  or  tier,  size  as  indicated.  Header  should  be 
framed  across  pipe  duct,  about  eighteen  inches  therefrom. 


STUD   WALLS. 

See  Fig.  ^.  Walls  and  partitions  are  usually  of  two-by- 
four- inch  studding.  In  large  houses  it  is  best  that  the  studding 
be  two  by  six  inches,  and  plates  four  inches  in 
thickness  and  the  width  of  the  studding  are 
commonly  placed  at  the  bottom  and  top  of  the 
walls  of  each  story.  Sometimes,  however,  the 
studding  continues  to  the  height  of  two  stories, 
and  the  joists  are  supported  on  a  one-by-six- 
inch  "  ribbon  "  piece  let  into  the  studding. 

Trusses  or  supports  should  be  framed 
over  all  openings.  Sliding-door  pockets  or 
runways  should  be  lined  with  flooring.  All 
corners  and  angles  should  be  framed  solid 
and  have  two-inch  projections  for  lathing. 
Studding  four  by  four  inches  thick  should  be 
framed  around  all  window  openings  and  on 
three  sides  of  the  door  openings ;  bridging, 
two  by  two  inches,  one  row  for  each  story.  Grounds  should  be 
placed  on  the  inside  openings,  and  elsewhere  for  plastering. 
The  pipe  duct,  fourteen  inches  wide,  should  be  placed  between 
studding  from  kitchen  to  attic  floor.     All  outside  walls  of  frame 


2l6  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

houses  should  be  diagonally  sheathed  with  seven-eighths-by-six- 
inch  dressed  sheathing.  Tongued  and  grooved  material  is  best 
for  this  purpose,  although  it  is  not  in  common  use.  All  sheath- 
ing should  be  covered  with  six-pound  sized  building-paper. 

Sometimes  the  insides  of  brick  walls  are  furred.  This  means 
that  they  are  lined  on  the  inside  with  wood  strips  two  inches  in 
thickness,  sixteen  inches  on  centres,  and  then  lathed  and  plas- 
tered. This  prevents  the  passage  of  the  moisture  through  the 
brick  into  the  inside  of  the  room. 

Various  forms  of  sheathing  lath  for  inside  sheathing  of  a 
frame  house  are  now  in  use.  This  form  of  lath  contemplates 
a  seven-eighth-inch  tongued  and  grooved  sheathing  on  the 
inside  with  dove-tailed  channels  cut  into  its  surface,  which  form 
key-room  for  the  plastering. 

ROOF. 

Most  roofs  can  be  formed  with  out-posts  and  purlins.  All 
can  be  formed  in  this  way  where  cost  is  not  considered.  An 
ordinary  dwelling-house  of  the  size  given  in  these  plans  does 
not  require  separate  posts  and  purlins.  There  should'  be  double 
rafters  around  all  chimneys  and  openings  in  the  roof. 

The  roof  should  be  sheathed  with  seven-eighths  by  four-inch 
material ;  where  exposed  to  view,  with  five-and-one-half-inch 
beaded  flooring.  Where  deck  framing  is  required,  posts  and 
purlins  are  necessary,  size  according  to  weight  to  be  carried. 

Where  shingles  are  used  for  roofing,  they  should  be  laid 
four  and  one-half  inches  to  the  weather  for  sixteen-inch  shingles, 
with  two  nails  to  each.  It  is  best  that  shingles  should  be 
dipped  in  stain,  oil,  or  paint  before  they  are  put  on  the  roof. 
The  durability  of  shingles  is  not  increased  by  being  painted  after 
they  have  been  laid.     The  ridge  finish  of  the  shingle  or  slate 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  217 

roof  should  be  of  galvanized  iron,  with  about  four-inch  lap  on 
each  side.  It  may  be  made  as  ornamental  as  desired.  Wood 
should  never  be  used  for  this  purpose.  Hips  and  ridges  of  slate 
or  shingle  roofs  may  be  finished  with  tin  or  galvanized  iron, 
lapped  on  each  side  about  three  and  one-half  inches.  Gutters 
of  galvanized  iron  set  up  on  the  first  course  of  shingles  or  slate, 
with  metallic  support  from  above  or  below,  are  better  than 
gutters  of  wood  tin-lined. 

Where  slate  covering  is  used,  any  size  slate  desired  may  be 
employed,  bearing  in  mind  that  the  bond  should  not  be  less 
than  three  and  one-half  or  four  inches.  There  should  be  two 
nails  to  each  slate. 

OUTSIDE    FINISH. 

All  lumber  used  for  outside  finish  should  be  thoroughly  sea- 
soned, clear,  smoothly  dressed,  and  free  from  imperfections 
tending  to  impair  its  use,  durability,  strength,  or  appearance. 
Poplar  is  the  ideal  building  ma- 
terial for  outside  finish.  It  takes  ~*^p  Plfe?|P  PP 
paint  better  than  other  woods  used  JDrob  Oicbrod  F^6<3"f~ 

for  this  purpose.     However,  pine 

is  generally  used,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  cheaper.  Weather- 
boarding  is  usually  laid  with  an  inch  lap  four  and  one-half 
inches  to  the  weather  ;  three  and  one-half  inches  is  better. 

Drop  siding,  or  German  siding  as  it  is  sometimes  called, 
makes  a  warmer  and  better  wall  than  weather-boardine.  It  is 
usually  six  or  eight  inches  wide,  and  in  form  and  construction 
as  indicated  by  Fig.  34. 

Outside  shingle  walls  are  now  quite  common.  Shingles  are 
used  for  ornamental  purposes  in  a  large  proportion  of  the 
houses  that  are  built ;  in  some  instances  they  are  used  exclu- 


2i8  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

sively  for  outside  covering.  In  such  cases  they  are  undressed, 
and  are  stained  commonly  with  one  of  the  proprietary  stains 
now  on  the  market.  Before  being  placed  they  are  dipped  into 
the  stain  for  about  eight  inches  from  their  buts,  and  are  laid  in 
piles  to  dry.  Any  desired  color  may  be  secured,  and  there  are 
instances  where  stained  shingled  walls  have  gone  without  any 
attention  or  expense  for  eight  or  ten  years. 

Dressed  shingles  are  commonly  painted.  Their  form  may 
be  as  ornamental  as  desired.  Outside  shingles  are  sometimes 
laid  five  and  one- half  inches  to  the  weather,  but  four  and  one- 
half  is  better.  It  is  not  uncommon  at  this  time  to  leave  all 
shingles  unpainted  and  unstained.  The  effect  is  very  agreeable 
when  they  become  weather-stained. 

OUTSIDE   CASINGS. 

All  horizontal  trimmings  and  casings  should  be  bevelled  on 
the  top  to  shed  the  water.  They  should  run  back  under  the 
shingled  weather-boarding  or  other  outside  covering.  There 
should  be  tin  covering  for  all  projections  in  excess  of  one  and 
three-eighths  inch.  Ordinary  window  or  door  casings  outside 
are  usually  three-eighths  inch  thick. 

WINDOWS. 

All  windows  in  the  part  of  the  house  regularly  occupied 
should  have  box  frames.  Pulley  styles  should  be  of  hard  wood, 
and  the  inside  bead  should  be  secured  with  round-headed  screws. 
Sash  for  plate  glass  should  be  one  and  three-fourths  inch 
thick;  side  rail,  two  and  one-half  inches  in  rabbet;  bottom  rail, 
three  and  one-eighth  inches  ;  and  meeting  rail,  one  and  one- 
fourth    inch    in    the    rabbet.      Sash   for  common  glass  may  be 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  2  10. 

one  and  three-eighths  inch  thick.  Other  sizes,  as  given.  Sash 
for  rooms  finished  in  hard  wood  is  better  when  of  the  wood  in 
which  the  room  is  finished.  However,  where  there  is  great 
variation  this  is  not  necessary.  Quartered  oak  is  the  material 
commonly  used  for  hard-wood  sash.  Almost  any  hard  wood 
is  more  liable  to  warp  than  pine.  All  box  frames  should  be 
provided  with  turned  axle  pulleys.  Nothing  but  the  best  plaited 
cotton  sash-cord  should  be  used.  Necessary  weights  should  be 
provided. 

In  some  of  the  plans  where  wide  front  windows  are  indicated, 
the  design  is  called  pocket  head.  There  is  a  pocket  above  the 
head  of  the  frame  so  that  a  high  sash  may  be  run  into  it.  The 
sash  may  be  pushed  up  into  the  pocket ;  that  is,  it  runs  into 
the  wall  above  the  head  of  the  frame.  Where  the  pocket-head 
window  is  used,  it  is  necessary  that  there  be  a  clear  space  above 
the  frame  for  the  sash  to  be  run  up  equal  to  the  height  of  the 
sash  itself. 

Hinged  or  pivoted  windows  have  rabbeted  frames  which  are 
usually  one  and  three-eighths  inch  thick.  They  are  used  for 
the  most  part  in  unfinished  cellars,  attics,  and  unoccupied  parts 
of  the  house,  and  preferably  for  pantry,  store-room,  and,  occa- 
sionally, bath-room  windows.  They  may  be  hung  on  hinges  or 
pivots.  Hinges  are  better,  for  the  reason  that  fly  screens  cannot 
be  used  where  the  sash  is  pivoted.  Sills  should  slant  twenty 
degrees,  with  drip  piece  secured  to  outside.  This  prevents  the 
storm  from  blowing  water  to  the  inside. 

OUTSIDE    SHUTTERS. 

Outside  shutters  are  usually  one  and  three-eighths  inch 
thick,  with  movable  slats  ;  if  more  than  six  and  one-half  feet 
high,  they  should  be  made  in  three  panels  each.     Arrangements 


2  20  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

are  provided  by  various  manufacturers  of  hardware  for  opening 
outside  shutters  from  the  inside  of  the  room.  They  ma)-  be 
swung-  either  from  the  sides  or  top  at  will.  When  they  are  sus- 
pended from  above  they  act  as  an  awning ;  the)-  admit  the  air 
but  not  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

Sometimes  shutters  are  cut  at  the  meeting  rail,  so  that  the 
upper  or  lower  section  may  be  opened  as  desired. 

PORCHES. 

At  this  time  it  is  not  usual  to  provide  special  ceiling  for 
porches.  The  rafters  and  all  exposed  material  are  dressed  so 
that  they  may  be  painted  or  stained.  Floor  joists  are  not  usu- 
ally more  than  two  by  eight  inches  ;  sills,  about  six  by  eight. 
The  floor  should  be  inclined  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  to  the 
foot,  and  made  of  hard  wood,  tongued  and  grooved,  not  over 
two  and  three-fourths  inches  in  width.  Edges  should  be  finished 
with  nosings,  which  are  rounded  edges.  The  roof  of  the  porch 
is  usually  the  same  as  that  of  the  body  of  the  house.  Gutters 
are  similar  to  those  on  other  roofs. 

Railing  and  turned  balusters  are  usual,  excepting  where  an 
opening  for  passage  is  desired. 

LATTICE    PORCH. 

Framework  of  lattice  porch  is  generally  the  same  form  as 
other  porches.  The  covering  is  usually  made  with  one-and- 
three-eighths-inch  material,  laid  diagonal ;  openings,  one  and 
three-eighths  inch.  Door  and  hardware,  same  as  used  for  other 
parts  of  the  house,  are  generally  provided. 

OUTSIDE    STEPS. 

Outside  steps  of  wood  usually  have  hard-wood  treads  made 
of  seven-eighths-by-two-and-one-half-inch    pieces,    with    three- 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  22  1 

eighths-inch  space  between ;  carriages  should  be  two  by  ten 
inches,  about  sixteen  on  centres.  Railing  and  posts  for  steps 
should  be  provided  if  necessary.  Lattice  should  be  placed  under 
porches  and  outside  steps,  and  between  all  outside  piers.  Out- 
side lattice-work  in  yard  may  be  of  the  same  general  design  as 
mentioned  for  lattice-work  porches. 

General  statements  as  to  outside  wood-work  apply  alike 
to  brick  or  frame  houses,  with  certain  omissions  that  should  be 
obvious  to  an  intelligent  reader. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

INSIDE    WOOD-WORK. FLOORS. SOFT     AND     HARD    WOOD    FLOORS. 

TABULATED    STATEMENT   OF    INSIDE  FINISH. DIFFERENT  KINDS 

OF      WOOD.  DOORS      AND      FRAMES.  FLY      SCREENS. INSIDE 

CASINGS. WAINSCOTING. INSIDE  SHUTTERS. WOOD-WORK  FOR 

PLUMBING. KITCHEN     SINK     AND     FITTINGS.  KITCHEN    TABLES. 

CELLAR-SINK       FITTINGS.  WOOD- WORK       FOR       BATH-TUB.  

WATER-CLOSETS.  WASH-STANDS. TANK.  PICTURE  MOULDING. 

CLOSET  FITTINGS. BROOM-RACK. CEDAR-CLOSET. DRY-BOX. 

CLOCK  SHELF. CHINA-ROOM  FITTINGS. PANTRY  FITTINGS. 

STAIRWAYS. 

INSIDE  WOOD-WORK. 

ALL  material  should  be  perfectly  clear,  first-class,  thoroughly 
seasoned,  kiln-dried,  dressed  material,  free  from  imperfec- 
tions tending  to  impair  its  use,  durability,  strength,  or  appear- 
ance. All  inside  finish  excepting  floors  should  be  sand-papered. 
Where  an  especially  good  finish  is  desired,  all  should  be  scraped 
as  well. 

FLOORS. 

In  preparing  for  floors,  it  is  not  unusual  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  preventing  the  passage  of  sound.  This  is  done  by 
deadening.  The  usual  method  is  to  nail  strips  about  two  inches 
and  a  half  from  the  top  edge  of  the  joist,  on  which  are  laid  one- 
inch  boards.  This  leaves  an  inch  and  a  half  between  their  sur- 
face and  the  upper  edge  of  the  joist.  This  may  be  filled  in  with 
concrete,  mineral  wool,  or  other  non-conducting  material. 
Either  is  very  effective  in  preventing  the  passage  of  sound  from 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  223 

the  floors  to  the  rooms  below.  In  a  dwelling-house  where  two 
floors  only  are  in  common  use,  it  is  only  necessary  to  deaden 
the  second  floor. 

A  permanent  sheathing  floor  of  the  same  material  that  is  used 
for  rough  siding  may  be  placed  over  all  joists  of  first  and  second 
floors  for  a  floor  during  the  plastering  of  the  house.  This  does 
not  act  as  deadening,  unless  concrete  or  mineral  wool  be  placed 
over  it.  It  is  well  to  have  a  floor  of  this  kind  for  use  during 
plastering.  It  also  makes  the  lower  floor  warmer.  It  should 
be  covered  with  building-paper  before  the  finished  floor  is  laid. 
Finished  floors  should  extend  throughout  the  first  and  second 
stories  and  the  attic.  They  are  commonly  of  pine  or  other  soft 
wood.  The  material  is  tongued  and  grooved,  secret-nailed,  and 
should  be  smoothed  off  after  laying.  The  boards  should  never 
be  wider  than  five  and  a  half  inches,  nor  less  in  thickness  than 
seven-eighths  of  an  inch.  They  should  be  free  from  sap,  large, 
loose,  or  black  knots.  Hard-wood  floors  may  be  of  hard  pine, 
oak,  maple,  or  other  hard  wood  that  is  readily  obtainable  or 
desirable.  This  material  should  not  be  more  than  two  and  three- 
fourths  inches  in  width,  nor  less  than  seven-eighths  of  an  inch 
in  thickness,  and  should  be  tongued  and  grooved,  secret-nailed, 
and  smoothed  off  and  scraped  after  laying.  A  better  grade  of 
pine  flooring  than  that  mentioned  may  be  had  if  desired.  It  is 
best  that  all  floors  be  laid  after  plastering.  However,  this  is  not 
the  common  practice.  The  carpenter  should  cut  out  flooring  as 
directed,  and  prepare  for  hearths  in  proper  places.  Other  inside 
dressed  wood-work  should  never  be  placed  in  position  until  after 
the  plastering  is  finished  and  dry. 

The  following  table  is  from  a  specification  in  use  by  myself, 
and  shows  the  kind  of  lumber,  style  of  doors,  finish  of  wood, 
painters'  finish,  and  rooms  supplied  with  plate  glass,  and  the 


224 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


general  style  of  hardware.  The  detail  specification  makes  clear 
the  points  here  outlined.  The  filling  out  of  the  blanks  indicates 
the  range  and  style  of  finish  which  frequently  occur.  The  letter- 
ing of  the  doors  and  finish  refers  to  drawings  and  details,  a  part 
of  which  are  given  in  this  connection. 


FLOORS. 

KIND 

OF 

LUMBER. 

0 
<A    2 

o   * 

Q 

THICKNESS 

OF 

DOOR. 

a    X 
2     S 

ROOMS 
WITH 
PLATE-GLASS. 

STYLE 

OF 

HARDWARE. 

FIRST    FLOOR. 

Front  Hall  .  .  . 

Qu.  Oak. 

A 

*H 

- 

- 

- 

(C         a 

A 

tX 

All  Oil. 

- 

- 

Sitting-Room.  . 

"   Sycamore. 

A 

*k 

- 

- 

- 

(<           «< 

A 

*H 

- 

- 

- 

Rear  Hall 

Gum. 

A 

1% 

- 

- 

- 

Dining-Room    . 

<i 

A 

IU 

- 

- 

- 

Chamber 

-     - 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Plain  Oak. 

D 

iH 

- 

- 

- 

Bedrooms  .  .  .  . 

-     - 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

i«         « 

D 

tH 

- 

- 

- 

China  Room  .  . 

«         t( 

D 

iH 

- 

- 

- 

SECOND  FLOOR. 

Front  Hall  .  .  . 

Gum. 

E 

irt 

- 

- 

- 

Chamber    .  .  .  . 

Pine. 

E 

iH 

- 

- 

- 

M 

(< 

E 

itf 

- 

- 

- 

U 

u 

E 

iVs 

- 

- 

- 

(( 

<( 

E 

lV& 

- 

- 

- 

Rear  Bedroom . 

Poplar. 

D 

13/8 

- 

- 

- 

j  Pine. 

E 

l# 

- 

- 

- 

Bath-Room  .  .  . 

Qu.  Oak. 

D 

13/S 

- 

- 

- 

Rear  Hall 

1  Pine. 

D 

*H 

- 

- 

- 

Other  rooms  .  . 

(i 

D 

irt 

- 

- 

- 

PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  225 

It  may  be  said,  in  general  terms,  in  regard  to  the  different 
kinds  of  wood  used  in  finishing  a  house,  that,  all  things  consid- 
ered, hard  wood  of  one  kind  or  another  is  preferable,  for  the 
reason  that  it  stands  the  general  wear  and  tear  of  house-keeping 
with  less  evidence  of  the  struggle.  Soft  wood  —  pine  or  poplar 
—  is  only  to  be  used  because  it  is  cheaper  than  the  other. 
Quartered  oak,  quartered  sycamore,  cherry,  maple,  walnut  and 
chestnut  may  be  classed  as  the  hard  woods  in  ordinary  use  in 
finishing  houses  of  moderate  cost.  Gum  is  difficult  to  class.  It 
is  neither  hard  nor  soft.  Others  might  be  mentioned  in  this 
same  connection.  Pine  and  other  resinous  woods  are  mentioned 
as  soft  woods  ;  as  is  also  poplar,  called  in  some  sections  white- 
wood.  Any  of  these  woods  may  be  oil-finished,  according  to 
the  general  formula  indicated  elsewhere,  or  any  of  them  may  be 
stained.     Birch  stains  very  nicely. 

DOORS    AND    FRAMES. 

Door-frames,  when  rabbeted,  should  not  be  less  than  one 
and  three-eighths  inch  in  thickness.  Sometimes  the  strip  is 
screwed  to  the  frame.  In  that  case  the  frame  is  often  not  more 
than  one  and  one-eighth  inch  thick.  One  and  three-eighths 
inch,  however,  is  better.  Front  doors  or  principal  entrance 
doors  are  frequently  hard  wood  when  all  the  others  are  soft 
wood.  All  outside  doors  are  generally  filled  with  glass  in  their 
upper  panels.  Sliding  doors  should  be  the  same  general  design 
as  other  adjacent  doors.  One  additional  panel  to  each  additional 
twelve  inches  in  excess  of  width  of  other  doors  may  be  provided. 
Sliding  doors  should  be  hung  from  above.  Hard-wood  doors 
are  usually  solid.  All  excepting  pine  are  best  made  of  a  veneer, 
one-fourth  inch  thick  on  a  one-and-three-eighths-inch  pine  body, 
as  indicated  by  Fig.   35.     Sometimes  doors  are   made  in  two 


226 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


thicknesses  of  hard  wood.  This  is  not  as  good  as  a  single 
thickness.  Three  thicknesses  are  better.  The  only  door  to  be 
recommended,  however,  is  the  veneered  door.  Such  doors  will 
not  warp  ;  others  are  liable  to  do  so.  Transoms  may  be  hung 
on  pivots,  and  should  be  provided  with  catches,  and,  if  heavy  or 
high,  with  adjustable  lifts.  Transoms  are  sometimes  used  in 
doors  on  the  second  floor,  though  this  practice  is  less  common 


Oeeticrtp  o^VfepeG^i-^adlDoor" 


ADocn- 


p*fcj;r 


than  in  the  past.  Where  doors  with  transoms  are  used,  it  is  not 
uncommon  to  have  the  closet  doors  extend  to  the  full  height 
of  the  transom  tops,  and  provide  additional  top  panels.  Doors 
six  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  or  less,  and  not  more  than  one  and 
three-eighths  inch  in  thickness,  may  be  hung  on  two  three- 
and-one-half  by  three-and-one-half-inch  buts.  If  higher  than 
this  or  wider  than  three  feet,  they  should  be  hung  on  three 
buts  or  hinges. 

Doors  in  unfinished  cellars  may  be  made  of  two  thicknesses 


PR  A  CTICAL   HO  USE-B  UILDING. 


227 


of  seven-eighths  beaded  flooring ;  frames  the  same  as  in 
rooms  above.  A  seven-eighths  batten 
door,  with  one-and-three-ei^hths-inch 
frame,  should  be  provided  for  man-hole 
in  cellar.  Scuttle  doors,  where  required, 
may  be  seven-eighths  inch  in  thick- 
ness, battened. 

Cuts  35,  36,  2>1  indicate  ordinary 
style  of  inside  door  and  window  finish, 
the  sizes    and    heights    being   marked.      X).  XboT-i     q*®® 

Doors  from  dining-room  to  china-closet 
and  china-closet  to  kitchen  should 
be  hung  on  double-spring  hinges, 
so  that  they  will  swing  either  way 
and  come  back  to  position.  The 
slide  from  the  kitchen  to  china- 
closet  or  dinincr-room  should  be  huno- 
the  same  as  sash,  with  plaited  cot- 
ton sash-cord,  pulleys,  and  weights, 
and  provided  with  lifts  and  bolt 
fastenings. 

Frames    should    be    provided    for 
DZDoor-  ,   ^  opening  into    bay    windows,   window- 

cr  f      seats,  alcoves,  and  pilasters. 
Stop  beads  for  glazed  and  sliding  doors  should  be  secured 
with  round-headed  screws. 

There  should  be  corner  beads  for  external  angles. 


FLY   SCREEN. 

In  the  modern   house   all   outside  openings,  from  cellar  to 
attic,  are  provided  with  fly  screens.     They  are  now  made   by 


228  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

concerns  who  make  it  a  business  to  do  this  work,  and  are  much 
better  than  those  made  by  the  ordinary  carpenter.  They  are 
arranged  so  that  they  will  slide  up  and  down  on  the  inside  or 
outside  stop,  and  are  finished  in  every  way  to  correspond  with 
the  other  wood-work  of  the  house.  They  need  not  be  more  than 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  thickness  if  properly  made.  A  small 
strip  is  secured  to  the  stop  bead,  and  a  corresponding  groove  is 
cut  in  the  screen  frame.  A  spring  therein  holds  it  firm,  and 
admits  of  their  removal  without  trouble  or  waste  of  time.  Spe- 
cial hardware  is  provided  for  door  and  window  screens. 

INSIDE    CASINGS. 

The  commonest  way  of  constructing  casings  at  this  time  is 
indicated  in  Figs.  35  and  36,  showing  inside  of  doors  and  win- 
dows. This  is  one  of  the  least  expensive  forms,  and  is  adapted 
to  all  ordinary  work.  The  casings  are  usually  seven-eighths 
inch  thick,  the  corner  and  plinth  blocks  one  and  one-eighth 
inch  thick.  The  plinth  block  comes  at  the  bottom  of  the  casing. 
One  reason  that  this  form  of  casing  is  in  such  general  use  is, 
that  the  corner  block  conceals  any  slight  shrinkage  which  there 
may  be  in  the  wood.  Where  there  is  a  mitred  or  flush  joint, 
the  shrinkage  is  certain  to  show.  Casings  as  elaborate  as  any 
one  is  inclined  to  pay  for  may  be  used.  Window,  door,  alcove, 
and  other  casings  are  generally  all  of  one  design  in  a  room. 
All  girders  and  projections  below  ceilings  should  be  cased. 

BASE. 

The  base-board  around  the  room  should  be  plain,  so  that  it 
may  be  readily  cleaned.  Where  it  is  ornamented,  it  adds  noth- 
ing to  the  appearance  of  the  room.  There  should  be  a  base  for 
all  plastered  walls.     Generally  they  should  be  not  more  than 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  229 

eight  inches  high,  seven-eighths  inch  thick,  bevelled  at  the  top 
and  a  quarter  round  at  the  bottom.  A  five-eighths-inch  adjust- 
able lip  may  be  put  on  at  the  top,  to  take  up  the  inequalities  in 
the  plaster.  The  closet  base  may  be  formed  of  a  quarter  round 
only  if  it  is  plastered  and  skimmed  to  the  floor.  It  is  well  to 
have  as  little  wood-work  as  possible  in  the  closet. 

WAINSCOTING. 

Wainscoting  kitchen,  bath,  and  other  rooms  is  not  as  com- 
mon as  it  once  was.  This  is  because  wood-work  is  more  diffi- 
cult to  keep  clean  than  plastering.  Wherever  there  is  wain- 
scoting, there  must  necessarily  be  joints.  These  are  difficult  to 
keep  clean.  Panel  wood-work,  or  other  form  of  decoration  for 
wall  or  ceiling,  may  be  used  in  rooms  according  to  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  owner  and  the  taste  of  the  architect. 

INSIDE    SHUTTERS. 

Inside  shutters  are  not  so  universally  used  in  good  houses 
as  they  were  a  few  years  ago.  Draperies,  though  more  expen- 
sive, are  preferred,  and  are  taking  their  place.  Inside  sliding 
shutters,  arranged  in  several  sections  and  constructed  according 
to  the  general  plan  described  for  fly-screens,  are  in  more 
common  use.  Rolling  slats  which  roll  into  a  pocket  are  to  be 
thought  of  only  in  connection  with  an  expensive  dwelling. 
The  common  inside  shutter  is  ordinarily  seven-eighths  inch  in 
thickness,  four  panels  wide,  beaded,  and  cut  at  the  meeting  rail ; 
and  the  four  centre  panels  are  provided  with  movable  slats. 
The  special  designs  of  inside  shutters  mentioned  are  manufac- 
tured by  various  establishments  throughout  the  country,  and  are 
advertised  in  various  magazines  and  periodicals.      Under  any 


230  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

circumstances  the  owner  will  have  to  investigate  proprietary 
goods  and  special  furnishings  for  himself.  They  are  not  to  be 
considered  in  a  work  of  this  kind. 

WOOD-WORK   FOR   PLUMBING. 

All  should  be  put  up  in  a  way  to  make  plumbing  readily 
accessible  by  the  removal  of  screws.  The  pipe  duct  should  be 
located  as  required  in  the  kitchen,  and  pass  from  basement  to 
attic  floor.  The  inside  measurement  should  be  seven  by  twelve 
inches.  It  should  be  constructed  of  seven  eighths-inch  lumber. 
In  case  of  stud  partitions,  the  duct  may  be  let  into  the  wall  the 
full  depth  allowed  by  studding.  The  front  will  project  into, the 
kitchen.  All  should  be  of  clear  lumber,  the  same  as  other  wood 
used  in  finishing.  A  ventilating  opening,  five  inches  in  diame- 
ter, may  be  provided  at  the  top  of  the  duct.  This  may  be  con- 
nected with  pipe  and  funnel,  or  other  device,  placed  over  the 
kitchen  range.  The  carpenter  should  provide  pipe  boards  for 
all  pipe  runs.  The  following,  in  regard  to  wood-work  for 
plumbing,  is  from  the  specification  of  an  architect: 

Kitchen  Sink  and  Fittings.  —  Wood  rim,  £  by  2%  inches  ;  skirt,  £  by 
6£  inches  ;  support  on  cleat  at  back,  plain  oak,  if -inch  turned  legs  in  front. 

Splash-board. — \  by  14  inches,  scurfed  back  ;  J  by  2  inches,  plain  top. 

Drain-board.  —  Shall  be  22  inches  long  by  21  inches  wide,  |  inch  thick, 
1  inch  incline  ;  channelled  top  ;  skirt,  3  by  f ,  cleated  with  two  cleats  at  bottom. 
One  end  shall  rest  on  sink,  side  on  wall  cleat,  other  end  on  turned  leg. 

Full  length  of  tables,  sink,  and  drain. 

Tables.  —  There  shall  be  two  tables  connected  with  drain  and  sink,  each 
21  inches  wide,  2  by  6  inches  long,  £  thick  ;  skirt,  3  by  £  inches.  Cleated 
back.     Secured  and  supported  same  as  drain. 

Other  Sinks  :  — 

Cellar  Sink.  —  Provide  |-by-3-inch  supporting  rim,  2^  inches  by  £  inch 
top.     1 1  square  legs. 

Bath-tub.  —  Case  sides  and  ends  with  £-by-2|-inch  oak  board,  tongued 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  231 

and  grooved  material,  secret-nailed.  Batten  foot-casing,  and  put  in  in  one 
piece  with  round-headed  blue  screws.     Cap  top. 

Splash-board.  —  Wainscoting  same  as  tub  casing,  6  inches  high.  Cap 
top  in  two  members  $•  inch  thick. 

Water-closet.  —  Hinged  flap  and  seat,  each  \  inch  thick ;  skirt,  \  by 
5  inches ;  support  on  if  turned  legs  in  front,  cleat  at  back. 

Case  water-closet  tank,  mould  top. 

Wash-stands.  —  Provide  supports  under  marble  top.  Case  sides  same 
as  specified  for  tub.  Make  cleated  door  in  front  of  same  material.  Provide 
hinges  and  fastenings. 

Tank.  —  A  tank  shall  be  placed  in  attic ;  capacity,  8  barrels.  Construct 
with  if -inch  ploughed  and  tongued  material,  with  two  §-inch  rods,  bolts,  and 
nuts  at  each  end,  and  cleats  across  top  at  middle. 

In  this  house  there  shall  be  the  following  plumbing  fixtures,  to  be  fitted 
up  as  above  :  1  kitchen  sink,  cellar  sink,  sink,  1  bath-tub,  1  water-closet, 
1  wash-stand. 

PICTURE    MOULDINGS. 

Picture  mouldings  should  be  provided  on  all  plastered  walls 
excepting  those  of  kitchen  and  pantries.  It  is  usual  to  place 
the  picture  moulding  on  a  line  with  the  top  of  the  door ;  that  is, 
so  that  it  comes  just  below  the  top  of  the  corner  block. 

CLOSET-FITTINGS. 

Shelves  should  be  seven-eighths  inch  thick,  number  and 
arrangement  as  desired. 

The   following  is  a  schedule  from  closet-fittings.      Provide 

hooks  in  closets  as  follows  :  — 

One  row  to  cleat  on  wall  5  feet  3  inches  from  floor. 

One  row  under  side  of  shelf. 

One  row  to  cleat  on  wall  3  feet  6  inches  from  floor  in  children's  closets. 

DRAWERS    FOR    CLOSETS. 

Drawers  for  closets  are  best  made  by  a  cabinet-maker.  If 
not,  they  should  be  modelled  in  all  respects  after  cabinet  work. 


232  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

Cedar  closets  are  not  as  common  as  they  once  were.  As  people 
have  more  to  place  in  them,  there  is  less  confidence  in  their 
efficacy.     The  following  is  from  a  specification  :  — 

Broom-rack.  —  Provide  in  space  as  directed  i  broom-rack,  with  cast-iron 
broom-holder,  for  sweep-broom,  whisk-broom ;  hooks  for  dust-pan  and  bucket. 

Medicine-chest.  —  Provide  fn  closet  a  medicine-chest  8  by  10  by  16 
inches,  with  \  panelled  and  hinged  door.     Approved  lock. 

Exposed  wood-work  thereof  same  as  room  in  which  closet  is  placed. 

Cedar-closet.  —  Closet  shall  be  lined,  ceiled,  and  fitted  up  with  red 
cedar. 

Dry-box.  —  Secured  on  wall  adjacent  to  kitchen  range  shall  be  placed 
a  drying-box  for  scrub-rags,  brushes,  etc.,  8  inches  deep  by  18  inches  wide  by 
24  inches  high,  constructed  with  \  material,  inside  measurements.  Provide 
hinged  f-inch  panelled  door  with  fastening.  Top,  bottom,  and  shelves  shall 
be  perforated  with  £  auger-holes  for  passage  of  warm  air  through  the  box. 

Soap-box.  —  Constructed  same  as  dry-box.  Size,  9  inches  deep,  20 
inches  wide,  30  inches  high. 

Door,  \  inch  thick,  panelled.  Provide  approved  lock.  Shelves,  %  thick, 
set  into  sides,  3  inches  apart.  Perforate  bottom  and  shelves  with  f-inch  auger- 
holes,  and  connect  top  with  kitchen  or  vent-flue. 

Clock-shelf.  —  Provide  8-inch  moulded  clock-shelf,  $■  inch  thick,  in 
kitchen. 

Ventilator.     Clothes-chute.     Coal-chute.     Coal-bins  in  cellar. 

CHINA-ROOM    SPECIFICATION. 

Cupboard  (see  drawing,  Chapter  VII.).  —  Shelves  as  directed  below  and 
above.     Lower  shelves  \  inch  thick. 

Lower  doors  \  panelled,  upper  doors  glazed. 

Provide  hinges  and  fastenings  for  all. 

There  shall  be  8  inches  space  between  f-inch  top  of  lower  section  and 
bottom  shelf  of  upper  section.  Upper  door  shall  not  come  below  under  side 
of  this  upper  section  shelf. 

Table.  —  Construction  same  as  in  kitchen. 

Sink. 

Drawers. 


PR  A  CTICAL   HO  USE-B  UILDING. 


23; 


PANTRY   SPECIFICATION. 

Cupboard  (see  drawing,  Chapter  VII.).  —  As  indicated.  Doors  below 
and  shelves  above,  same  as  specified  for  china.     No  doors  above. 

Dough-board.  —  Provide  constructed  same  as  tables  specified  for  kitchen, 
except  that  it  shall  be  supported  on  brackets. 

Flour-bin.  —  Shall    be    18    inches    deep   by    24   inches    high    in    front, 

28  inches  in  rear,  by long, compartments.     Set  4  inches  from 

floor.     Top  cleated  and  hinged.     Lumber  \  inch  thick. 


FLOUR-BIN. 

The  flour-bin  described  in  the  specifications  is  the  old  kind 
with  the  hinged  top.  Another  kind  that  has  been  used  success- 
fully is  here  illustrated. 

The  receptacle  for  flour  is  pivoted  in  the  manner  indicated 
by  the  section.  The  pivot  position  is  indicated  on  the  drawing 
by  the  point  of  the 
arrow.  The  dotted 
lines  on  the  section 
indicate  the  position 
of  the  flour  recepta- 
cle when  it  is  open. 
It  is  pulled  open  by 
the  hand.  The  knob 
is  shown  on  the  draw- 
ing of  front.  As 
soon  as  it  is  released 
it  falls  back  into  a  closed  position.  It  is  pivoted  so  that  it 
remains  closed  unless  held  open.  The  front  drawing  indicates 
a  flour-bin  of  this  kind  with  three  receptacles ;  the  larger  one 
for  flour,  and  the  two  smaller  ones  for  meal  and  graham.  The 
marble  dough-stone  can  be  placed  on  the  top  of  a  bin  of  this 
kind.     If  there  is  no  other  room  for  the  bin  it  can  be  placed 


t~~  "\otsr-\jrp. 


r~  !ocn—bTp. 

F>-or)t. 


234 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


in  the  lower  section  of  the  pantry  cupboard,  and  can  take  the 
space  ordinarily  given  one  of  the  doors.  The  pantry  cupboard 
is  illustrated  and  described  in  Chapter  VII. 


BOXES  FOR  PANTRY  SUPPLIES. 

These  boxes  are  constructed  on  the  same  principle  as  the 
flour-bin,  just  described.  They  are  pivoted  and  arranged  in  a 
row,  and  may  be  set  on  a  pantry  shelf.  The  drawing  indicates 
eight  of  these  boxes,  four  of  them  nine  by  twelve  inches,  and 
four  five  by  three  and  three-fourths  inches.     These  boxes  are 

of  tin,  the  frame  only 
e 


3 


x  "T  being  of  wood.    Th 
•'  5j,    socket     into     which 


pT-OT)t_. 
<3oK  for-  'rhr)krY-y-JXi\^<^ 


J><i,zk3<sr>. 


into 
the  pivot  fits  is  open 
at  the  bottom,  so 
that  the  box  can  be 
lifted  off  the  pivot 
and  taken  out  and  washed.  An  arrangement  such  as  this 
takes  very  little  room,  and  the  boxes  are  always  closed  unless 
held  open.  They  are  so  pivoted  that  they  fall  into  a  closed 
position  as  soon  as  released.  Two  of  these  boxes  in  a  china- 
closet  would  be  convenient  to  hold  bread  and  cake. 


STAIRS. 

The  wood-work  of  the  stairway  should  always  be  of  hard 
wood.  Where  hard  wood  is  used  for  entire  finish,  the  stairway 
is  best  of  the  same  variety.  The  treads  should  always  be  one 
and  one-eighth  inch  in  thickness,  and  never  less  than  ten 
inches  in  width.  The  risers  may  be  seven-eighths  inch  thick  and 
never  more  than  seven  and  one-half  inches  in  height.  Square 
or  turned  newel  posts  are  in  common  use.     Winders  should  not 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  235 

be  used  for  the  main  stairway.  Square  turns  at  the  landing 
should  be  made.  Sometimes  the  rear  stairway  is  of  the  same 
general  style  and  design  as  the  front.  When  it  is  an  open  stair- 
way, it  is  necessary  that  this  should  be  the  case.  A  rear  box 
stairway,  the  cellar  and  attic  stairway,  or,  in  fact,  any  box  stair- 
way, should  have  the  treads  and  risers  the  same  thickness  and 
general  dimensions  as  those  mentioned  for  the  front.  However, 
they  need  not  be  of  hard  wood.  They  should  always  be  pro- 
vided with  hand-rails.  All  lumber  for  cellar  or  attic  stairways 
should  be  clear  and  dressed,  and  quite  as  well  finished  as  that 
of  any  other  part  of  the  house.  When  the  cellar  is  not  plastered, 
the  side  lining  for  cellar  stairways  should  be  seven-eighths-inch 
flooring  below  the  first-story  plastering.  This  flooring  should 
be  dressed  on  both  sides.  The  outside  cellar-way  should  have 
dressed  treads  and  risers  one  and  three-fourths  inch  thick. 
The  wall  should  be  capped,  preferably  with  stone,  and  the  out- 
side cellar  door  should  be  of  iron.  Where  economy  is  necessary, 
one-and-three-fourths-inch  oak  coping  and  doors  may  be  used. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

PLASTERING. GRAY    FINISH. WHITE    HARD    FINISH. BACK    PLAS- 
TERING.   GAS-PIPING.  a —  TIN     WORK.  GUTTERS.  VALLEYS. 

DOWN     SPOUTS. GALVANIZED     IRON-WORK. HOT-AIR     PIPES. 

THIMBLES. PAINTING. STAINING. OIL    FINISHING. INTERIOR 

STAINING.  FLOOR     FINISH.  GLAZING.  PLATE-GLASS. BEV- 
ELLED   GLASS. CATHEDRAL   GLASS. HARDWARE. 

IT  is  only  within  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years  that  it  has  been 
at  all  common  to  do  two-coat  work  in  plastering.  Before 
that  time  three-coat  work  was  almost  universal.  Most  of  the 
plastering  done  at  this  time  is  what  is  called  "  laid-on  "  work. 
The  first  two  coats  are  put  on  at  the  same  time.  The  last 
coat  is  put  on  after  these  are  dry.  The  laths  are  nearly  always 
of  pine.  There  should  be  one  nail  for  each  contact  with  the 
wood-work ;  that  is,  four  nails  to  each  lath.  The  mortar  should 
be  made  of  the  best  quality  of  lime  and  sharp  sand. 

A  sufficient  quantity  of  hair  should  be  used.  The  mortar 
should  be  floated,  or  made  smooth,  and  straightened  to  receive 
the  wood-work.  The  last  coat  should  be  put  on  after  the  other 
is  thoroughly  dry.  It  should  be  trowelled  to  a  smooth  surface, 
and  when  completed  should  be  free  from  chip  cracks,  stains,  and 
improper  mixing  of  sand.  Three-coat  work,  where  each  coat 
is  allowed  to  become  thoroughly  dry,  is  better  than  two-coat 
work.  The  last  coat  is  usually  a  white  plaster-of- Paris  finish, 
put  on  with  the  skim. 

A  gray  finish  is  used  more  generally  at  the  present  time 
than  in  the  past.     It  is  put  on  in  place  of  the  white  skim  coat. 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  237 

The  natural  color  is  a  pleasant  gray  tint.  It  may  be  made 
smooth  enough  for  papering.  The  skim  coat,  white  or  gray,  may 
be  tinted  with  fresco  color  at  less  cost  than  it  can  be  papered. 
Paper  becomes  necessary  on  a  white  skim  finish  after  a  short  time. 

The  hard  white  finish,  which  is  not  commonly  used  at  the 
present  time,  is  very  satisfactory  excepting  for  its  extreme 
whiteness.  This  finish  is  made  by  the  use  of  white  sand  and 
skim  rubbed  and  floated  down  until  only  a  sufficient  amount  of 
the  lime  or  skim  proper  remains  to  cement  the  sand  to  the  wall. 
The  same  kind  of  a  finish  with  gray  sand  is  very  satisfactory. 

Proprietary  finishes  for  plastered  walls  are  now  used  to  some 
extent  in  the  better  class  of  work.  They  are  very  hard,  of  water- 
proof texture  and  of  any  color  desired.  The  coloring  of  finish 
for  plastering  is  ordinarily  not  successful.  However,  some  of  the 
proprietary  colored  goods  before  the  public  are  very  satisfactory 
when  well  put  on.  The  one  difficulty  in  the  way  of  their  use  is 
in  getting  the  plasterer  to  handle  properly  a  thing  with  which 
he  is  not  familiar. 

Back  plastering  is  common  in  very  cold  climates,  and  is 
done  by  plastering  on  the  back  of  the  sheathing  between  the 
studding.     It  is  independent  of  the  inside  plastering. 

Cement  pavements  in  floors  are  considered  in  the  previous 
chapter. 

GAS-PIPING. 

Gas-pipes  are  placed  in  a  house  before  lathing.  The  gas 
company  which  supplies  the  illuminating  or  fuel  gas  furnishes 
the  inspection  for  each  set  of  pipes.  Below  is  given  a  form  of 
specification  in  use  by  an  architect  in  a  natural-gas  region. 

GAS. 
Illuminating  Gas.  —  Provide  and  fix  gas-pipe  and  fittings  according  to 
gas  company's  regulations.     All  pipes  shall  be  concealed,  excepting  where  it 


2*8 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


is  desired  to  attach  a  burner.  Cap  pipes.  Lights  to  be  placed  as  indicated 
by  table  below. 

Fuel  or  Natural  Gas.  —  Provide  and  fix  pipe  and  fittings  according  to 
company's  regulations.  Company's  certificate  of  approval  will  be  required 
before  payments  are  made.     Cap  pipes  until  mixers  and  burners  are  attached. 

Valves  and  connections  shall  be  provided  preparatory  to  mixer  and 
burner  connections.     Provide  connection  with  street  mains. 

TABLE   OF   DISTRIBUTION. 


FLOORS. 

illuminating  gas. 

NATURAL-GAS 
FIRES. 

CENTRE. 

BRACKET. 

FIRST    FLOOR. 

Parlor  or  Reception  Room 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Front  Hall  —  newel      .     . 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Chambers  —  each     .     .     . 

- 

- 

- 

Rear  Hall 

- 

- 

- 

Bedrooms  —  each     .     .     . 

- 

- 

- 

Kitchen      .     .     gas  stove 

- 

- 

Range. 

- 

- 

- 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Cellar 

(Furnace. 
(Laundry  stove. 

SECOND    FLOOR 

Chambers  —  each     .     .     . 

- 

- 

- 

Bedrooms  —  each     .     .     . 

- 

- 

- 

Alcove 

- 

- 

- 

Front  Hall 

- 

- 

- 

Rear  Hall 

- 

- 

- 

Bath-Room 

- 

- 

- 

Attic 

- 

- 

PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  239 

TIN  WORK. 

It  is  now  entirely  possible  to  get  first-class  tin  plate  for 
architectural  uses.  The  process  is  very  simple.  Require  and 
pay  only  for  a  tin  plate  stamped  with  a  reputable  maker's  name 
and  brand.  There  is  a  general  effort  upon  the  part  of  tin-plate 
dealers  to  raise  the  standard  of  tin  in  this  way ;  and  there  are 
now  a  number  of  manufacturers  of  integrity  who  are  pursuing 
the  course  of  branding  a  first-class  tin  plate.  All  tin  work 
should  be  painted  on  the  under  side  before  it  leaves  the  shop. 

GUTTERS. 

In  the  matter  of  general  utility  the  hanging  gutter  is  ideal. 
It  is  below  the  eaves,  where  its  overflow  can  injure  nothing.  It 
is  easy  to  reach  all  parts  of  it  in  case  of  repair.  If  it  is  neces- 
sary to  remove  any  of  the  shingles  or  other  roof  covering,  the 
gutter  need  not  be  disturbed.  There  are  those,  however,  who 
object  to  the  appearance  of  a  hanging  gutter.  A  galvanized 
iron  gutter  made  of  No.  26  iron,  in  form  as  per  Fig.  33,  and 
which  runs  four  inches  above  the  overflow  line  at  all  times,  may 
be  placed  on  the  first  or  second  row  of  shingles  or  slate,  and 
will  give  very  good  satisfaction.  It  is  certainly  much  better  than 
a  wood  tin-lined  gutter. 

VALLEYS    AND    OTHER   TIN   WORK. 

All  valleys  should  be  lined  with  twenty-inch  tin.  The  con- 
nection between  all  roof  and  vertical  surfaces  should  be  flashed 
and  counter-flashed  ;  that  is,  pieces  of  tin  should  be  bent  to  con- 
form to  the  vertical  and  horizontal  surfaces,  and  slipped  under 
the  slate  or  shingles  so  as  to  lap  both  horizontally  and  vertically. 
This    is   the    flashing.     The   counter-flashings    are    the   lapped 


240  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

pieces  of  tin  which  extend  into  the  vertical  surfaces,  and  down 
over  the  flashings  proper. 

All  wood-work  which  projects  in  excess  of  one  and  three- 
eighths  inch  from  any  vertical  surface,  should  be  covered  with 
tin.  Hip  and  ridge  coping  should  be  covered  with  tin  in  the 
manner  described  in  chapter  where  roofs  are  considered. 

Down  spouts  should  be  provided  to  carry  the  water  from  all 
roofs  to  the  ground.  The  presence  of  more  than  one  gable  in 
the  front  part  of  the  building  frequently  makes  more  than  one 
down  spout  necessary.  Where  the  house  is  not  too  large,  one 
five-inch  spout  will  usually  take  all  of  the  water  from  the  roof. 
For  a  small  structure  a  four-inch  spout  will  serve  the  same  pur- 
pose. Three  and  four  inches  are  in  common  use  for  carrying 
water  from  the  main  roof  where  the  continuous  course  of  the 
gutter  is  interrupted  by  gables  or  dormers.  The  cistern  down- 
spout should  be  provided  with  cut-off  or  preferably  a  switch 
spout,  which  connects  by  a  drain  pipe  with  a  dry  well  or  street 
gutter.  Such  connections  should  never  be  made  with  the  sewer 
where  a  down  spout  is  intended  to  supply  a  cistern.  In  con- 
necting a  roof  with  a  cistern  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  it 
is  not  always  so  much  the  size  of  the  cistern  which  insures  a 
constant  supply  of  water,  as  it  is  the  amount  of  roof  surface 
connected  with  the  cistern. 

Porches  are  usually  provided  with  two  or  three  inch  down 
spouts  according  to  the  amount  of  roof  to  be  drained. 

Flat  roofs  are  best  when  made  with  a  standing  seam.  It 
admits  of  the  expansion  and  contraction  of  the  tin  without  injury 
to  the  joint. 

Copper  has  been  extensively  used  on  the  better  class  of 
buildings  during  recent  years.  The  improvement  in  the  quality 
of  tin   has   rendered   its  use   unnecessary  excepting  for  down 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  241 

spouts  and  ornamental  purposes.  New  processes  in  the  manu- 
facture of  sheet  copper,  and  the  electroplating  of  other  sheet 
metals  with  copper,  promise  to  reduce  the  cost  of  that  material 
for  architectural  purposes,  so  that  it  will  be  better  and  cheaper 
than  tin.  When  such  claims  are  substantiated  the  public  will 
be  informed  thereof,  through  the  usual  channels. 

Galvanized  iron  does  not  have  the  general  architectural  uses 
that  were  common  to  it  a  few  years  ago.  For  down  spouts 
in  excess  of  four  inches,  No.  26  galvanized  iron  should  be 
used. 

Hot-air  pipes  which  connect  the  furnace  pipes  in  basement 
with  the  second  floor  are  usually  three  and  three-fourths  by 
twelve  inches  in  size.  Before  they  are  placed,  all  contiguous 
wood-work  should  be  lined  with  tin.  In  frame  houses  the  pipes 
should  be  covered  with  iron  lath.  They  should  continue  above 
baseboard,  with  register  opening  on  second  floor  and  below  joist 
with  collar  in  basement.  Where  pipes  run  in  an  outside  wood 
wall,  which  they  should  do  only  in  case  of  extremest  emergency, 
the  back  and  sides  of  the  pipe  should  be  lined  with  several 
thicknesses  of  asbestos  paper. 

A  zinc  drain  should  be  provided  from  the  refrigerator  to  the 
outside  of  brick  wall.  This  drain  is  one  inch  in  diameter,  and 
comes  up  through  the  floor  with  funnel-shaped  opening  at  the 
top.  An  ordinary  six-inch  tin  funnel  let  into  the  tube  will 
answer  every  purpose.  Thus  the  discharge  pipe  from  the 
refrigerator  may  be  readily  placed  over  it. 

Thimbles  should  be  provided  for  the  plasterer  when  he  is 
putting  on  the  last  coat.  Flue  stops  should  be  placed  therein 
after  plastering  is  finished.  These  are  for  stove  connections 
with  brick  flues. 


242  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

PAINTING. 

Painting  is  not  so  serious  a  problem  as  it  once  was.  We 
hear  about  people  buying  their  own  paint,  the  lead  and  every- 
thing that  goes  with  it,  and  having  it  mixed  under  their  personal 
supervision.  But  even  this  is  not  satisfactory.  After  a  short 
time  the  paint  begins  to  look  chalky  and  dingy.  When  the 
mixing  of  the  paint  is  not  done  under  the  supervision  of  the 
owner,  and  the  result  is  as  above  stated,  the  painter  is  often 
accused  of  dishonesty. 

A  painter  does  not  ordinarily  have  the  facilities  or  knowledge 
for  properly  mixing  colored  paints.  In  order  to  get  satisfactory 
results  in  painting,  we  may  again  fall  back  upon  the  integrity 
of  an  established  manufacturer  of  proprietary  goods,  —  that  is, 
upon  ready-mixed  paints.  Not  all  are  good.  Most  of  them 
are  made  as  cheap  and  common  as  possible  ;  but  the  best  results 
can  be  secured  from  really  good  ready-mixed  paints.  Any 
large  dealer  of  established  reputation,  who  is  not  himself  a  manu- 
facturer of  a  cheap  paint,  may  ordinarily  be  relied  upon  for  a 
correct  opinion. 

Preparatory  to  painting,  all  knots  should  be  coated  with 
shellac.  All  work  should  be  painted  with  three  coats,  —  one 
priming,  and  two  following.  One  can  always  be  sure  of  getting 
the  color  wanted  in  ready-mixed  paints  of  the  best  quality.  All 
outside  frames  should  be  primed  before  setting.  The  painter 
should  follow  the  carpenter,  and  prime  all  dressed  wood-work 
as  put  up.  Putty  work  may  be  done  after  first  coat,  or  before 
final  color  is  applied.  There  is  no  advantage  to  be  derived  in 
painting  shingles  after  they  are  put  on.  The  paint  gathers  in  a 
heavy  ridge  on  the  shingle  next  to  the  butt  of  the  one  above  it 
in  a  way  to  let  the  moisture  lie  therein,  so  that  it  will  rot  at 
this  point. 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  243 

Brick-work  may  be  painted  as  specified  for  wood-work, 
excepting  that  the  first  coat,  or  priming,  should  be  put  on  very 
heavy. 

Tin  and  iron  work  should  be  painted  with  one  coat  of  me- 
tallic paint  as  soon  as  put  up.  Tin  unexposed  to  view  should 
receive  a  second  coat  of  metallic  paint  before  the  building  is 
completed.  Tin  work  exposed  to  view  should  have  two  coats 
of  paint  on  a  metallic  prime,  same  as  house. 

EXTERIOR   STAINING. 

Shingles  should  be  dipped  in  stain  and  then  stood  in  a 
trough,  so  that  they  will  drain  to  a  barrel.  Other  external 
wood-work  should  have  two  heavy  coats  of  stain  applied  with  a 
brush.  Weather-boarding  is  sometimes  dipped  into  a  trough 
filled  with  stain,  and  then  set  so  that  it  will  drain  therein. 
Shingle  stain  is  a  proprietary  finish,  and  regularly  advertised 
in  leading  periodicals. 

INTERIOR    STAINING. 

The  staining  of  interior  finish  is  now  rendered  simple  and 
satisfactory  by  the  use  of  proprietary  stains.  Sometimes  the 
stain  is  put  on  direct,  without  first  applying  filler.  At  other 
times  a  filler  of  cornstarch  and  oil,  or  a  proprietary  mixture, 
which  is  preferable,  is  used.  One  or  two  coats  of  prepared  oil- 
finish  follows  the  application  of  the  stain.  The  various  man- 
ufacturers of  interior  stains  furnish  wood  samples  which  indicate 
the  variety  of  this  material  manufactured. 

OIL   FINISHING. 

All  wood  to  be  oil-finished  should  first  be  filled.  The 
antique  and  acid  stained  effects  are  derived  by  the  use  of  differ- 


244  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

ent  kinds  of  fillers,  which  close  the  pores  of  the  wood  and  stain 
it  the  color  desired.  Proprietary  fillers  and  oil  finish  may  be 
most  successfully  used,  for  the  reason  that  they  are  generally 
prepared  by  men  who  have  put  their  capital  into  the  business 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  a  return.  Such  people  cannot  put  a 
bad  article  permanently  on  the  market  without  feeling  the  result 
themselves.  Therefore,  those  who  are  permanently  successful  in 
the  manufacture  of  proprietary  goods  can  generally  be  relied  upon. 

In  the  finishing  of  wood-work  all  under  coats  should  be 
rubbed  with  dry  hair-cloth,  burlap,  or  fine  sand-paper.  On  top 
of  the  filler  two  co  its  of  prepared  oil  finish  should  be  applied  ; 
the  first  one  rubbed  as  above,  and,  if  desired,  the  last  left  bright. 
A  dead  finish  may  be  secured  by  rubbing  down  the  last  coat 
with  fine  pumice  stone  and  water  or  oil. 

External  exposed  wood-work  and  bath-rooms  may  be  finished 
with  a  water-proof  varnish  by  treating  as  above,  excepting  that 
the  last  coat  should  be  a  water-proof  oil  finish  made  by  some 
well-known  manufacturer. 

FLOOR   FINISH. 

All  manufacturers  of  first-class  interior  finishes  prepare  a 
special  floor  finish.  It  is  usually  applied  in  two  coats  over 
a  filler  as  described.  In  "such  cases  the  filler  is  not  stained. 
Each  coat  is  thoroughly  rubbed.  A  satisfactory  floor  finish  may 
be  made  by  washing  the  clean  wood  floor  with  a  solution  of  salt 
and  water,  and  afterwards  saturating  with  paraffine  wax,  and 
then  rubbing. 

GLAZING. 

All  glass  should  be  embedded  in  putty  and  secured  with 
glazier's  tacks  and  putty.     American  sheet  glass  is  made  in  two 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  245 

thicknesses  —  single  and  double  strength  —  and  in  four  quali- 
ties.    A  or  A  A  only  should  be  used  in  a  good  house. 

Plate  glass  costs  about  five  or  six  times  as  much  as  double- 
strength  A  American  sheet.  A  thumb  rule  for  calculating  the 
cost  of  plate  glass,  which  is  not  strictly  accurate  but  which  gives 
a  general  idea,  is  to  calculate  on  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  cents 
per  square  foot. 

CATHEDRAL   GLASS. 

Of  cathedral  glass  proper  there  is  only  one  quality.  In  or- 
namental and  colored  orlass  work  the  different  kinds  of  p-lass 
used  will  not  be  here  enumerated.  Bevelled  plate  is  becoming 
quite  common.  Generally  speaking,  cathedral  glass  may  be 
arranged  in  geometrical  forms  in  sash  with  wood  separations 
or  muntins.  Cathedral  glass  proper  for  such  purposes  costs 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  cents  a  square  foot.  Cathedral 
glass  leaded  may  cost  almost  any  amount  in  excess  of  a  dollar 
per  square  foot.  In  selecting  cathedral  glass  for  sash  with 
wood  separations,  the  best  and  most  satisfactory  results  may  be 
reached  by  choosing  the  lighter  tints,  and  not  having  more  than 
one  or  two  colors  to  the  window. 

HARDWARE. 

It  is  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  write  a  general  specification 
for  the  hardware  which  goes  into  a  house.  It  cannot  be  done 
excepting  by  specifying  particular  goods,  which  cannot  be  done 
here.  However,  a  few  general  statements  in  regard  to  hard- 
ware may  not  be  amiss.  The  cheapest  locks  used  should  have 
brass  fronts  and  bolts,  and  be  of  the  mortise  pattern.  Night- 
locks  should  be  provided  as  desired.  Outside  knobs  of  rear 
door  and  those  inside  the  kitchen  may  be  of  bronzed  iron. 
The    price    of  bronzed-faced    locks   is   not  much  greater  than 


246  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

brass-faced  locks.  A  good  bronzed-iron  knob  has  not  been 
made  up  to  this  time.  Therefore,  the  fixtures  for  the  front  door, 
if  not  all  others,  should  be  of  real  bronze. 

Butts  of  bronzed  iron  have  been  made  which  are  very  satis- 
factory. Sash  locks  should  be  provided  for  all  windows. 
Slidine-door  hardware  should  be  of  real  bronze.  The  locks 
should  be  what  is  known  as  "astragal"  fronts,  and  the  trim- 
mings flush.  Sliding  doors  should  be  suspended  from  above 
on  hangers.  Bolts  of  wrought-iron  should  be  placed  on  all  out- 
side rear  doors,  and,  if  desired,  on  the  inside  of  all  chamber  and 
bedroom  doors ;  always  on  the  bath-room  door.  Such  bolts 
may  be  mortised  or  otherwise,  as  desired.  Foot  and  top  bolts 
may  be  provided  for  double  doors  and  for  sash.  Pivots  should 
be  provided  for  all  transoms ;  transom  lifts  as  desired,  also 
sash  lifts.  There  should  be  wooden  base  knobs  with  rubber 
buffers  at  all  doors.  Double-spring  hinges  should  be  provided 
for  doors  leading  to  and  from  kitchen  and  china-closet  or  pas- 
sage. Necessary  drawer  hardware  should  be  provided,  and 
butts,  knobs,  and  fastenings  for  inside  shutters. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

PRACTICAL    PLUMBING. WOOD-WORK    FOR    PLUMBER. EXCAVATING 

FOR    PLUMBER. WATER     DISTRIBUTION.  OUTSIDE    FIXTURES. 

HYDRANTS.  STREET- WASHERS.  SOFT-WATER      SUPPLY.  HOT- 
WATER      SUPPLY. SOIL      PIPE.  INSIDE      FIXTURES.  KITCHEN 

SINK. CELLAR    SINK. 

IN  a  previous  chapter  plumbing  was  considered  from  a  sani- 
tary standpoint,  and  the  conditions  of  safety  set  forth.  In 
this  chapter  it  remains  to  consider  plumbing  work  in  a  more 
practical  way ;  to  consider  it  with  reference  to  its  execution, 
assuming  that  it  is  desired  to  reach  the  best  results.  This 
means,  primarily,  good  work ;  then  good  work  with  the  least 
expenditure  of  money. 

The  carpenter  usually  provides  all  necessary  wood-work 
for  the  plumber.  This  means  boards  and  runs  on  which  pipes 
are  to  be  placed,  the  pipe  duct  and  other  wood  finish.  It  is 
best  that  the  carpenter  should  do  this  in  order  that  it  may  be 
well  done.  There  should  be  specified  in  the  carpenter's  contract 
exactly  what  he  is  to  do,  so  that  he  may  calculate  on  a  definite 
basis.  All  of  the  cutting  work,  where  cutting  is  necessary, 
should  be  done  by  the  carpenter.  The  plumber  is  not  usually 
supplied  with  tools  of  the  right  kind  for  doing  this,  and  is  as 
liable  to  botch  carpenter  work  as  a  carpenter  would  be  to  botch 
the  plumbing  work. 

The  plumber  should  do  all  of  his  own  excavating.  This 
includes  trenches  for  pipes  of  all  kinds  to  and  from  the 
house.     After  the  pipes  and  drains  have  been  placed  therein, 

247 


248  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

he  should  make  fills  and  thoroughly  tamp  the  earth  so  as  to 
restore  the  surface  to  its  original  condition.  This  may  be  best 
done  by  putting  in  a  small  quantity  of  earth  at  a  time,  ram- 
ming it  down  and  then  pouring  water  on  it.  Even  after  this 
the  drain  space  should  be  left  with  a  slight  crown,  as  the 
earth  will  settle  a  little  more  than  it  is  possible  to  make  it 
by  artificial  means.  Superfluous  earth  should  be  removed  from 
the  building  and  lot. 

Plumber's  excavating  is  not  included  in  the  general  contract. 
If  there  is  any  superfluous  earth  in  connection  with  his  work,  he, 
and  not  the  general  contractor,  should  remove  it.  Contracting 
methods  are  explained  in  another  section  of  the  book. 

WATER   DISTRIBUTION. 

Lead  should  be  used  for  all  purposes  where  pipes  are  exposed 
to  view  and  where  they  come  in  contact  with  the  earth.  This  is 
common  practice.  Sometimes,  however,  brass  or  planished 
copper  pipes  and  fittings  are  used  where  they  are  exposed  to 
view.  Brass  makes  very  beautiful  and  satisfactory  work.  Iron 
pipe,  galvanized  inside  and  out,  is  occasionally  used  for  exposed 
work.  It  does  not  look  as  well,  however,  as  lead  pipe.  Gal- 
vanized iron  pipe  is  also  frequently  used  where  not  exposed  to 
view,  and  where  it  does  not  come  in  contact  with  the  earth. 
Objections  will  be  made  to  this  by  plumbers  who  are  used  to 
doing  lead  work.  In  all  hospitals  where  the  best  work  is  done 
iron  or  brass  pipe  is  used,  and  lead  pipe  and  connections  are 
entirely  dispensed  with.  However,  the  use  of  lead  pipe  where 
exposed  to  view  and  where  in  contact  with  the  earth,  and  iron 
pipe  galvanized  for  other  places,  makes  most  excellent  and 
beautiful  work  for  dwelling-houses.  The  connections  between 
iron  and  lead  pipe  should  be  of  brass. 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  249 

The  water  works  of  many  cities  and  towns  are  from  direct- 
pressure  mains.  It  is  common  for  such  pressure  to  be  forty 
pounds  to  the  square  inch  under  ordinary  conditions.  A  fire 
pressure  is  much  greater.  Therefore,  all  direct-pressure  pipes 
of  lead  should  be  extra  strong.  Tank- pressure  pipes,  those 
which  connect  with  a  tank  in  the  attic  or  above  a  water-closet, 
may  be  medium  strong.  The  terms  "  extra  strong  "  and  "  me- 
dium strong,"  as  here  used,  are  definite  in  their  meaning,  and 
apply  to  regular  grades  of  pipe.  The  interior  fixtures  of  an 
ordinary  dwelling-house  are  supplied  with  lead  pipe  five-eighths 
of  an  inch  in  diameter,  or  iron  pipe  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in 
diameter.  In  the  above  will  be  found  all  that  applies  in  general 
terms  to  an  ordinary  specification  for  water  distribution.  Special 
mention  will  be  made  later. 

Stop-cocks  should  be  provided  sufficient  entirely  to  discon- 
nect and  drain  all  pipes,  fixtures,  and  connections.  "  Stop-and- 
waste"  cocks  should  be  provided  at  the  bottom  of  all  main 
risers  where  they  cannot  otherwise  be  drained.  A  "  stop-and- 
waste ''  cock  is  one  which  shuts  off  the  supply  from  its  source, 
and  drains  the  water  from  pipes  above,  so  that  it  passes  out  to  a 
receptacle  provided  for  that  purpose.  In  some  instances  it  is 
allowed  to  run  to  a  sink  on  the  cellar  floor,  or  it  may  be  taken 
in  a  bucket. 

The  city  water-supply  for  an  ordinary  dwelling-house  is  gen- 
erally through  five-eighths-inch  extra  strong  lead  pipe,  and  is 
provided  with  a  stop-box  so  that  the  water  can  be  turned  off 
from  the  house  at  the  street. 

OUTSIDE    FIXTURES. 

Outside  fixtures  which  connect  with  the  city  water  are  a 
street- washer   and    a   hydrant.      The    street- washer   is    usually 


250  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

placed  in  front,  so  that  a  hose  may  be  attached  to  it  for  sprink- 
ling- purposes.  There  are  many  standard  grades  of  street- 
washers  carried  in  stock  by  all  plumbers.  The  hydrant  has 
about  the  same  lower  connections  as  the  street-washer.  The 
hose  connection  and  opening  stand  well  above  the  lot  grade. 
It  is  usually  placed  in  the  back  yard  or  stable.  The  outlet 
may  have  a  hose  coupling,  and  thus  be  used  for  sprinkling 
purposes  in  the  back  part  of  the  lot  or  otherwise,  as  desired. 
Where  there  are  no  hydrants,  it  is  common  to  run  an  iron  pipe 
along  the  ground  to  connect  the  front  and  back  yard.  Thus  it 
is  not  necessary  to  have  so  large  a  supply  of  hose.  The  pipe 
thus  used  is  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  It  is  less 
expensive  than  rubber  hose,  and  does  not  deteriorate.  It  should 
have  a  short  hose  connection  in  front,  and  hose  coupling  at  the 
back. 

SOFT-WATER   SUPPLY. 

In  many  cities  the  water  from  the  public  pipes  contains  too 
much  lime  to  be  used  for  bathing  or  washing.  In  such  a  case 
it  is  necessary  to  supply  cistern  water  for  that  purpose.  This 
is  done  by  connecting  the  cistern  in  the  yard  with  a  tank 
in  the  attic,  or  some  place  above  the  highest  fixture.  To  do 
this  a  force  pump  is  placed  in  the  kitchen.  The  best  kind 
to  use  are  those  known  as  double-acting,  horizontal,  brass-cylin- 
der force  pumps.  They  may  be  screwed  to  the  floor,  and  the 
handle  come  up  next  to  the  sink  or  between  the  drain-board  and 
the  dry-board.  When  not  in  use,  this  handle  can  be  next  to 
the  wall  and  out  of  the  way.  A  motor  may  be  used  in  lieu  of  a 
pump.  It  is  placed  over  the  kitchen  sink,  and  has  connection 
with  city  water  works.  When  it  is  desired  to  pump  water  to  the 
attic,  one  can  turn  on  the  city  water  at  the  cock  and  let  it  run. 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  25  I 

Thus  the  city  pressure  is  exerted  through  the  motor  to  pump 
water  to  the  attic,  and  the  labor  of  pumping  entirely  done  away 
with.  The  cost  is  about  fifteen  dollars  more  than  a  good  pump. 
The  suction  of  such  a  pump  or  motor  should  be  one-and-one- 
half-inch  strong  lead  pipe,  and  the  supply  to  tank  in  attic  one- 
and-one-quarter-inch  lead  or  iron  pipe  where  not  exposed  to  view. 
Where  the  pump  or  motor  is  placed  as  indicated,  it  may  be  used 
to  pump  water  directly  to  the  kitchen  sink,  and  it  is  generally 
best  that  such  an  arrangement  be  made.  Of  course,  water  may 
be  drawn  from  the  tank  in  the  attic  to  this  sink,  if  it  is  desired 
to  so  arrange  it ;  but  where  this  is  done,  it  is  necessary  to  pump 
all  of  the  cold  water  used  in  the  kitchen  to  the  attic.  This  is 
unnecessary.  The  sink  may  have  a  direct  pump  connection  by 
means  of  a  five-eighths-inch  strong  lead  pipe  which  connects 
with  the  tank  supply.  On  the  end  of  this  lead  pipe  may  be  a 
brass  or  nickel  compression  cock  over  the  sink.  When  it  is 
desired  to  pump  water  into  the  tank  this  cock  is  closed,  and  the 
only  connection  is  with  the  tank  above. 

The  common  size  for  tank  is  eight  barrels  capacity.  It 
should  be  constructed  of  inch-and-three-quarters  ploughed  and 
tongued  material  with  two  three-eighths  inch  rods,  with  bolts 
and  nuts  at  each  end,  and  cleats  across  top  and  bottom  in  mid- 
dle. The  inside  should  be  lined  with  four-pound  sheet  lead  ; 
that  is,  sheet  lead  which  weighs  four  pounds  to  the  foot.  There 
should  be  an  inch  tell-tale  pipe  of  galvanized  iron  which  connects 
with  the  sink  nearest  the  pump.  Sometimes  an  overflow  which 
runs  to  the  roof  is  used,  in  which  case  a  smaller  tell-tale,  say 
one-half  inch  in  diameter,  will  serve.  There  are  instances 
where  the  tank  in  the  attic  is  connected  with  a  special  gutter  on 
the  roof,  above  the  line  of  the  tank.  Then  the  tank  is  provided 
with  a  large  overflow  so  that  it  may  not  cause  trouble.    However, 


252  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

this  is  a  little  risky.     The  tank  is  connected  with  the  hot  and 
cold  water  system  and  fixtures  subsequently  named. 

The  hot-water  system  is  as  simple  as  it  is  efficient.  Usually 
a  heavyipressure  galvanized-iron  boiler,  of  from  twenty-four  to 
sixty-two  gallons  capacity,  is  located  in  the  kitchen.  It  is  con- 
nected with  the  tank  by  means  of  five-eighths-inch  lead  or  three- 
•quarters-inch  iron  pipe,  and  with  fixtures  subsequently  named 
as  being  supplied  with  hot  water  in  the  same  manner.  The 
water  is  heated  in  the  range  by  means  of  a  water  back  or  water 
front  placed  in  the  fire-box  of  the  range.  It  is  connected  with 
the  boiler  by  means  of  five-eighths-inch  lead  and  three-quarters- 
inch  iron  pipe.  One  pipe  from  the  lower  part  of  the  boiler 
takes  the  water  to  the  back.  The  other  carries  it  to  the  top  of 
the  boiler,  the  cold  water  naturally  going  to  the  bottom  and 
the  hot  water  passing  to  the  top.  The  hot-water  supply  for 
fixtures  is  drawn  from  the  top  of  the  boiler.  Any  one  may 
notice,  by  passing  the  hand  up  and  down  a  boiler  of  this  kind, 
that  the  top  is  always  warmer  than  the  bottom.  Sometimes  a 
wrought-iron  pipe  is  used  in  a  stove  in  lieu  of  a  water  back.  It 
usually  answers  the  same  purpose,  though  its  heating  surface 
is  not  so  great.  It  is  best  to  use  a  pipe  back  where  the  boiler  is 
not  connected  with  soft  water.  The  incrustation  from  the  lime 
is  such  that  the  back  soon  becomes  filled,  and  it  is  much  more 
expensive  to  replace  than  one  made  of  pipe.  When  the  hot 
water  is  from  the  city  water  works,  the  supply  is  usually  directly 
therefrom  rather  than  from  a  tank  in  the  attic.  However,  it  is  not 
uncommon  to  have  a  tank  supply  in  the  house  where  public- 
water  supply  is  taken  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other,  and  it  is 
a  better  system,  though  a  little  more  expensive.  The  hot-water 
reservoir  is  usually  placed  on  an  iron  stand  near  the  stove.  It 
should  be  provided  with  a  draining  connection  for  the  purpose 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  253 

of  drawing  out  all  the  water  when  desired.  A  vent  connection 
from  the  reservoir  to  the  tank  in  attic,  or,  in  the  event  of  no 
tank  being  used,  to  the  roof  above,  is  common  as  a  guard 
against  extra  steam  pressure. 

SOIL   PIPE. 

Before  considering  other  inside  fixtures  and  fittings,  the  soil 
pipe  should  be  mentioned.  It  is  of  cast-iron,  light  weight,  and, 
when  it  is  connected  with  a  water-closet,  should  be  four  inches 
in  diameter  on  the  inside,  and  japanned  inside  and  out.  Joints 
are  made  at  the  hubs,  and  should  be  leaded  and  well  calked. 
Connections  with  this  pipe  should  be  made  by  means  of  Y's  of 
proper  size,  depending  on  the  size  of  the  drain  which  connects 
therewith.  The  soil  pipe  should  continue  upward  and  through 
the  roof  to  a  point  at  least  four  feet  above  the  nearest  ridge. 
Below,  it  should  continue  outside  of  the  foundation  wall  to  con- 
nect with  the  drain.  Where  there  is  a  sink  in  the  cellar,  the 
soil  pipe  should  be  below  the  cellar  floor.  Vitrified  or  earthen- 
ware drain  pipe  should  never  be  used  inside  the  walls  of  a 
house. 

INSIDE    FIXTURES. 

The  kitchen  sink  may  be  considered  first.  They  are  usually 
of  light  cast-iron.  Sometimes  they  are  of  pressed  steel ;  again, 
they  are  of  cast-iron  with  an  interior  porcelain  finish.  If  a  com- 
mon cast-iron  sink  is  painted,  the  paint  soon  wears  off.  The 
ideal  sink,  the  one  which  is  the  best  in  every  way,  is  of  porcelain. 
It  has  the  white,  glazed  surface  of  a  fine  dish,  and  is  easily 
cleaned.  Any  kitchen  sink  should  be  eighteen  inches  wide,  six 
inches  deep,  and  from  twenty-four  to  thirty-six  inches  in  length. 
Thirty  or  thirty-six  is  the  best.  They  are  provided  with  a 
strainer  in   the   bottom,  and    have    one-and-one-half-inch    light 


254  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

lead  "S"  trap  connection  with  soil  pipe  or  grease  sink,  subse- 
quently considered.  Where  city  water  is  at  hand,  the  sink 
should  be  supplied  through  a  five-eighths-inch  brass  or  nickel- 
plated  self-closing  cock.  Where  the  city  water  is  hard,  hot  and 
cold  cistern  water  in  addition  to  city  water  should  be  supplied 
through  five-eighths-inch  brass  or  nickel-plated  compression 
cocks.  If  the  hot  water  is  from  the  public  water  works,  a 
self-closing  cock  should  be  used.  All  cocks  should  be  screwed 
to  a  soldered  nipple,  and  not  "wiped"  or  joined  directly  to  the 
lead  pipe.  In  this  way,  it  is  not  necessary  to  wipe  a  joint  every 
time  the  cock  gives  out.  A  smaller  sink,  size  as  desired,  may 
be  used  in  the  china-closet  or  butler's  pantry.  Such  a  sink  is 
not  in  common  use  excepting  in  the  more  expensive  houses. 

The  cellar  sink  should  be  sixteen  by  sixteen  inches,  ten  inches 
deep,  and  should  be  provided  with  strainer,  and  an  inch-and-a- 
half  light  lead  "S"  trap  connection  with  soil  pipe.  If  city  supply 
only  is  desired,  it  may  be  had  through  five-eighths-inch  brass 
self-closine  cock.  Where  connection  is  made  with  cistern,  it 
may  be  by  means  of  one-and-one-half  inch  pipe  and  a  cast-iron 
pitcher  pump  ;  if  not  this,  a  well,  driven  or  otherwise,  may  be 
similarly  connected  by  means  of  a  pitcher  or  lift  pump.  .This 
cellar  sink  is  the  kind  that  may  be  used  in  connection  with  the 
laundry  previously  described.  Where  stationary  tubs  are  used, 
this  sink  is  not  necessary. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

PLUMBING      WORK      CONTINUED.  BATH-TUBS.  BATH-SPRINKLERS. 

FOOT-TUBS.  SAFES.  WATER-CLOSETS.  WASH-STANDS.  

LAUNDRY     FITTINGS.  SET     TUBS.  OUTSIDE     DRAINS.  GREASE 

SINKS. NICKEL    FITTINGS. 

THE  fittings  of  kitchen  and  other  sinks  are  fully  considered  in 
Chapter  V.,  which  has  to  do  with  kitchens  and  pantries. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say,  however,  that  the  only  visible  wood-work 
is  the  rim  and  wooden  legs,  which  support  the  sink  proper,  and 
the  splash-boards  at  the  side  tables  as  described. 

BATH-TUBS. 

A  great  deal  might  be  said  on  this  subject,  which  must  be 
left  unsaid  for  the  want  of  space.  The  ideal  bath-tub,  the  one 
which  in  every  way  is  the  most  satisfactory,  is  made  of  porcelain, 
same  as  the  sinks  described.  They  are  beautiful  in  appearance, 
easily  cleaned,  and  altogether  very  satisfactory.  However, 
they  are  expensive.  For  the  tub  alone  the  cost  is  about 
one  hundred  dollars  more  than  for  one  of  copper.  They  are 
used  in  houses  where  the  matter  of  cost  is  not  of  great  impor- 
tance. Cast-iron,  porcelain-lined,  and  cast-iron  tubs,  painted, 
are  used  occasionally  in  dwellings.  They  are  more  expensive 
than  the  copper  tubs.  An  iron  porcelain-lined  tub  is  much 
less  expensive  than  solid  porcelain,  and  is  very  satisfactory. 
The  iron  and  porcelain  tubs  do  not  require  side  or  end  casings 
of  wood.  They  stand  clear  of  wall  and  floor.  As  is  known, 
tubs  are  of  varying  sizes  and  forms,  the  usual  length  being  from 

255 


256  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

four  and  one-half  to  six  feet.  The  tubs  known  as  the  "  French  " 
pattern  are  commonly  four  and  one-half  feet  long,  and  deeper 
and  wider  than  the  ordinary  copper  tub.  The  weight  of  the 
copper  varies  from  nine  to  sixteen  ounces  to  the  foot ;  four- 
teen-ounce  copper  tubs  are  in  most  general  use.  The  French 
pattern  of  tub  is  coming  into  more  general  use  than  the  others 
in  the  best  class  of  work.  As  stated  before,  it  is  wider  and 
deeper,  though  shorter  than  the  old  six-foot  tub  of  the  common 
pattern.  It  does  not  require  as-  much  water  to  get  the  same 
depth  in  the  shorter  tub  as  in  one  that  is  longer.  As  no  one 
cares  to  lie  down  in  the  bath-tub,  six  feet  in  length  is  not 
necessary  ;  four  and  one-half  feet  is  ample. 

The  ordinary  fixtures  which  go  with  a  bath-tub  of  moderate 
cost  are  the  combination  bath-cock  with  rubber  hose  and  sprinkler, 
and  a  plug  and  chain.  All  the  metal  work  is  nickel-plated.  A 
combination  bath-cock  connection  with  hot  and  cold  water  mixes 
the  water  as  it  passes  into  the  tub,  so  that  the  proper  tempera- 
ture may  be  secured  by  the  adjustment  of  the  valves. 

The  most  objectionable  feature  to  the  tub  of  general  con- 
struction is  the  overflow  which  connects  with  the  waste.  It  is 
simply  a  tube  which  has  a  single  opening  below  the  bath-cock 
to  the  waste  pipe.  This  soon  becomes  foul.  Various  ingenious 
devices  have  been  arranged  for  doing  away  with  this  kind  of 
overflow.  Arrangements  are  provided  which  connect  directly 
with  the  outlet,  and  which  may  be  readily  removed  and  cleaned. 
These  prevent  the  passage  of  water  to  the  drain  when  tub  is  in 
use.  By  a  movement  of  a  handle  in  the  top  the  passage  may 
be  opened  below  to  allow  the  water  to  pass  out.  There  are 
many  devices  constructed  on  this  principle.  In  some  instances 
they  add  only  two  or  three  dollars  to  the  cost  of  the  plumbing 
outfit,  and  are  certainly  worth  the  extra  expense.     There  are 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  257 

arrangements  where  the  finish  is  more  elaborate,  the  details 
more  complete,  and  the  cost  largely  in  excess  of  the  figure  here 
named.  The  same  device  applies  to  the  various  tubs,  porcelain, 
iron,  or  copper.  Formerly  it  was  common  to  have  a  large 
sprinkler  connected  with  hot  and  cold  water  above  the  tub  ;  this 
is  now  unusual.  It  was  impossible  to  use  this  sprinkler  without 
wetting  the  head.  For  that  reason  the  hose  and  sprinkler  has 
largely  taken  its  place  in  ordinary  work.  However,  the  sprink- 
ler is  a  very  good  thing,  though  it  is  not  put  in  excepting  where 
the  hose  attachment  is  also  supplied. 

Another  modern  arrangement  which  has  to  do  with  the 
sprinkler  is  a  surrounding  rubber  curtain,  which  is  supported  by 
a  plated  ring  on  a  level  with  one's  head  when  standing.  This 
prevents  the  splashing  of  water  out  of  the  tub.  It  goes  against 
the  curtain,  and  is  thus  deflected  into  the  tub.  Various  arrange- 
ments on  this  principle,  looking  to  hot  or  steam  baths,  have 
been  devised.  They  surround  the  person  bathing,  leaving  only 
the  head  exposed,  and  discharge  the  warm  water  into  the  con- 
fined space  surrounding  the  body.  This  is  a  makeshift  to  take 
the  place  of  hot  and  steam  baths.  In  some  instances,  one- 
third  of  the  foot  end  of  the  tub  is  fitted  with  a  copper-lined 
enclosure  on  three  sides,  with  shower  at  top.  One  may  stand 
in  this  space  and  use  the  shower  as  with  the  curtain.  Additions 
are  sometimes  made  to  this  arrangement,  wherein  the  side  spray 
or  needle  bath  is  provided.  It  is  so  called  from  the  needle  size 
of  the  streams,  which  are  emitted  from  certain  pipes.  All  of 
these  showers  are  connected  with  regulating  valves,  sS  that  any 
desired  temperature  of  water  may  be  maintained  by  proper 
adjustment.  In  some  very  elaborate  bath-rooms  showers  are 
provided  at  the  side  of  the  room  where  there  is  a  marble  floor 
and  marble   wall  surface.     These   things   are   arranged   with   a 


258  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

multiplicity  of  detail,  showing  the  ingenuity  of  people  who  have 
given  these  matters  much  study,  and  which  cannot  be  fully  con- 
sidered in  this  connection.  Foot-tubs,  with  hot  and  cold  water 
connections,  are  made  of  the  same  material  that  is  used  in  bath- 
tubs, but  are  not  considered  in  the  plans  furnished  in  this  book, 
though  they  may  be  used  at  will.  The  bath-tub  will  serve  the 
same  general  purpose.  As  stated,  the  bath-tubs  connect  with 
hot  and  cold  water ;  they  connect  with  soil  pipe  or  drain  by 
means  of  one-and-one-half-inch  light  lead  waste  pipe,  which 
is  trapped  by  means  of  an  "  S  "  or  other  trap. 

SAFES. 

A  safe  is  simply  a  lead  pan  which  may  be  placed  under  the 
bath-tub,  or  other  enclosed  fixture,  to  guard  against  accidents 
from  overflow  or  leakage.  They  are  made  of  four-pound 
sheet  lead,  and  are  usually  turned  up  from  two  to  four  inches 
all  around.  The  lead  is  formed  to  a  bevelled  strip  at  the  sides 
and  end,  the  size  of  the  pan  being  that  of  the  extreme  outside  of 
the  fixture.  There  is  usually  an  inch  waste  connection  to  the 
cellar  or  kitchen  sink.  It  would  be  highly  improper  to  connect 
a  safe  with  the  drain,  trapped  or  otherwise,  as  its  use  under  any 
circumstances  will  be  occasional,  and  any  water  that  there  might 
be  in  the  trap  would  be  certain  to  evaporate,  and  in  that  way 
the  safe  waste  would  be  the  means  of  connecting  the  foulness 
of  the  drain  with  the  house.  Therefore,  it  is  right  and  proper 
that  it  should  connect  with  the  sink  or  the  cellar  floor.  In  that 
way,  any  "discharge  therefrom  would  be  readily  noticed.  Wastes 
are  frequently  placed  under  bath-tubs,  generally  under  wash- 
stands,  when  they  are  enclosed,  but  rarely  or  never  under  a 
modern  water-closet.  They  are  frequently  dispensed  with 
entirely. 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  259 

WATER-CLOSETS. 

Fig.  7,  page  68,  indicates,  in  perspective  and  in  section,  the 
more  common  form  of  water-closet  now  in  use,  than  which 
nothing  better  has  been  devised.  The  details  of  the  valve  con- 
nection and  general  form  of  the  closet  itself,  and  the  means  of 
flushing  it,  are  various,  but  the  general  principle  is  the  same. 
It  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  large  bowl  having  an  "  S  "  trap 
connection  with  soil  pipe.  The  bowl  and  trap  are  of  white  porce- 
lain ware,  in  one  piece.  The  form,  as  here  shown,  is  a  washout 
closet,  and  is  the  one  in  most  general  use.  Usually  a  connec- 
tion with  public  water  service  is  provided  from  a  tank  above. 
Trap  vent,  as  shown,  is  connected  with  the  outer  air  above  the 
roof.  The  seat  of  the  closet  is  usually  supported  from  the  wall 
at  the  back,  and  rests  on  the  body  of  the  porcelain,  on  rubber 
buffers,  which  prevent  the  liability  of  breakage  or  noise,  if  it 
falls.  Under  any  circumstances,  water-closets  should  never  be 
enclosed. 

WASH-STANDS. 

It  has  been  said  that  wash-stands  are  the  most  dangerous 
fixtures  that  go  into  a  house,  and  for  that  reason  the  greatest 
care  should  be  observed  in  their  construction.  The  only  mate- 
rial of  which  the  bowl  proper,  for  use  in  a  dwelling-house, 
should  be  made  is  porcelain.  The  usual  form  is  circular,  and 
about  fourteen  inches  in  diameter.  However,  they  are  made  in 
various  forms.  The  details  of  their  construction  differ  as  greatly 
as  those  of  the  other  fixtures  which  have  been  named.  Bowls 
are  made  which  have  the  same  "  patent"  overflow  arrangements 
as  the  bath-tub  overflows  that  have  been  considered  and 
described  elsewhere.  It  is  usual,  however,  to  use  a  rubber  plug 
and  chain.  The  top  and  back  of  the  wash-stand  should  be  of 
marble.     The  top  should   be   one    and    one-eighth  inch  thick, 


260  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

counter-sunk,  so  that  the  splashed  water  cannot  run  from  it  to 
the  floor ;  the  back  need  be  only  seven-eighths  inch  thick,  and 
generally  not  more  than  ten  inches  high.  Sometimes  it  may  be 
less.  The  hot  and  cold  water  fixtures  are  nickel-plated  ;  usually 
they  are  made  self-closing,  to  prevent  the  waste  of  water.  It  is 
necessary  that  they  should  be  so  where  city  water  is  used.  It 
is  part  of  the  city  regulations  that  all  connections  of  this  kind 
be  self-closin£.  Wash-stands  need  not  be  enclosed  below.  The 
marble  top  may  be  supported  on  iron  brackets  or  turned  wooden 
legs  of  hard  wood.  Traps  and  other  drain  connections  can  be 
neatly  arranged  so  that  their  appearance  is  not  in  any  sense 
objectionable  in  the  bath-room  or  other  place.  The  wash-stand 
should  have  one-and-one-half-inch  light  lead  trapped  connection 
with  the  drain  or  soil  pipe. 

Generally  speaking,  it  is  not  necessary  for  the  trap  to  be 
ventilated,  unless  it  so  happen  that  it  is  some  distance  from  the 
soil  pipe  or  drain.  The  soil  pipe,  we  know,  is  always  ventilated, 
and  if  the  wash-stand  is  situated  some  distance  from  it,  it  should 
have  a  direct  communication  with  the  outer  air  above  the  roof. 

Sometimes  a  pitcher-cock  is  placed  on  the  wash-stand  in 
the  bath-room  to  enable  the  drawing  of  drinking  water  when  the 
other  connections  are  with  the  cistern,  it  being  assumed  in  this 
instance  that  only  the  water  from  public  water  works  is  used  for 
drinking  purposes.  The  pitcher-cock  is  simply  one  with  a  long 
neck  which  extends  above  the  bowl,  and  is  directed  into  it,  the 
pitcher  being  placed  under  it  for  the  purpose  of  filling. 

LAUNDRY    FITTINGS. 

The  fittings  for  a  simple  laundry  apparatus,  that  would  go 
into  a  house  of  very  moderate  cost,  have  been  described  else- 
where.    In  this  instance  we  will  consider  only  the  more  elaborate 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  26 1 

arrangements  which  have  to  do  with  set  tubs.  They  may  be 
of  porcelain  or  plain  cast-iron,  of  cast-iron  porcelain-lined,  or 
of  brown  glazed  earthenware.  The  porcelain  is  of  the  same 
general  character  as  that  mentioned  for  the  bath-tub  and  sinks, 
and  is  an  expensive  and  very  elegant  material.  The  porcelain- 
lined  iron  tubs  are  in  more  general  use,  for  the  reason  that  they 
are  less  expensive  than  those  of  all  porcelain.  Brown  earthen- 
ware tubs  are  coming  to  be  favorably  considered,  and  are  in 
every  way  satisfactory.  Tubs  made  of  wood,  slate,  or  other 
material,  where  they  are  in  several  pieces,  are  objectionable. 
Those  mentioned  above  are  one-piece  tubs,  and  are  generally 
set  three  together.  The  porcelain  or  brown  earthenware  tubs 
usually  have  wooden  rims.  Sometimes  these  tubs  are  provided 
with  covers,  though  it  is  usual  and  preferable  that  covers  be  not 
used,  and  that  the  water  be  supplied  from  above.  The  hot 
and  cold  water  fixtures  are  nickel-plated  compression  cocks, 
which  connect  with  hot  and  cold  water  sources.  Generally 
speaking,  it  is  best,  where  set  tubs  are  used,  that  an  independent 
apparatus  for  heating  water  be  provided ;  that  is,  a  laundry 
water  heater,  of  which  there  are  many  different  kinds,  and  which 
are  constructed  on  the  same  general  principle  as  the  arrange- 
ment mentioned  in  connection  with  the  kitchen  and  other  water- 
heating  apparatus.  It  is  entirely  possible,  however,  to  make 
connections  with  the  water-heating  apparatus  of  the  kitchen. 

The  drain  connections  are  of  one-and-one-half-inch  light  lead, 
and  are  independently  trapped  for  each  tub.  They  lead  to  the 
main  drain,  connecting  with  sewer  or  vault. 

OUTSIDE    DRAINS. 

Drains  outside  of  the  house  should  be  of  vitrified  or  glazed 
earthenware  pipe,   laid  below  the  action  of  frost,  with  proper 


262  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

slant.  They  should  be  well  bedded  and  have  smoothly  cemented 
joints.  The  slant  need  be  very  slight,  eighteen  inches  in 
eighty  feet  or  less  may  be  used.  It  is  especially  desirable  that 
the  joints  be  thoroughly  cemented,  and  that  they  be  smooth  on 
the  inside,  so  that  the  foul  matter  passing 
through  the  interior  will  not  lodge  against 
any  projections.  The  surface  or  ends  of 
the  pipe  should  never  be  clipped  or  cut  for 
connections;  "  Y's"  or  "  T's  "  are  used  for 
all  connections  with  other  drains.  Drain  pipes  from  a  dwell- 
ing-house are  usually  five  or  six  inches  in  diameter.  It 
is  quite  as  important  that  they  be  not  too  large  as  that  they 
be  large  enough.  Where  a  pipe  is  too  large,  there  is  not 
enough  water  in  the  bottom  to  keep  it  clean.  The  illustration 
here  given  will  make  clear  this  point.  A  six  and  eight  inch 
drain  is  shown  with  the  same  quantity  of  water  in  each.  It  is 
common  in  cases  of  drain  connection  with  a  vault  that  no  trap  in 
the  drain  or  soil  pipe  itself  be  used.  Where  sewer  connection 
is  made,  a  vitrified  trap  of  the  same  size  as  the  drain  is  used; 
and  it  is  provided  with  a  trap  vent  connection  with  the  outer  air 
by  means  of  vitrified  vent  and  grate  opening  at  the  top. 

Storm-water  connections  may  be  made  with  the  main  sewer, 
but  it  is  best  that  they  be  made  between  the  house  and  the  trap 
of  main  drain.  In  this  way  there  is  no  danger  of  the  sewer 
having  connection  with  the  down  spouts  in  the  event  of  the 
evaporation  of  the  water  in  the  trap  of  the  storm-water 
connection.  The  modern  plan  of  city  sewer  systems  is  to 
have  independent  service  for  storm  water  and  house  drain 
connections. 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  263 

GREASE    SINKS. 

The  grease  sink  is  lined  with  brick,  and  is  usually  of  four  or 
five  barrels  capacity.  It  is  cemented  the  same  as  the  cistern, 
is  generally  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  away  from  the  house,  and 
has  a  four-inch  vitrified  drain  connection  with  the  waste  from 
the  kitchen  sink  or  other  sink  in  which  greasy  water  may  be 
deposited.  The  sink  itself  has  a  siphon  connection  with  the 
main  drain  or  vault,  and,  being  provided  with  an  iron  top,  the 
deposit  of  grease  or  other  material  may  be  removed  if  necessary. 
In  some  instances  a  sink  of  this  kind  is  required  to  be  used  to 
collect  all  solid  matter  before  the  drainage  connection  passes 
from  the  property. 

The  "  S  "  trap  only  has  been  distinctly  mentioned.  (  There 
are  hundreds  of  others,  all  constructed  upon  the  same  general 
principle.  Some  are  provided  with  mechanical  means  of  closing 
the  opening  leading  to  the  source  of  supply,  and,  in  addition  to 
this,  they  are  provided  with  a  seal  of  water  depending  upon 
some  form  or  condition  of  the  "S"  trap.  This  principle  is 
invariable  in  the  construction  of  traps.  No  trap  should  be  used 
unless  provided  with  a  trap  screw  of  the  same  size  as  the  drain 
itself,  which  will  admit  of  its  being  opened  when  necessary.  It 
is  not  uncommon  that  rings  or  other  jewelry  get  into  the  waste 
of  wash-stand  or  bath-tub  ;  they  may  be  recovered  by  taking 
out  the  trap  screw.  Again,  should  the  trap  become  fouled  or 
clogged,  the  matter  may  be  removed  in  the  same  way. 

NICKEL  FITTINGS. 

For  the  kitchen  sink,  nickel  fittings  are  preferable  to  brass, 
because  they  are  more  easily  cleaned. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

COST    OF   A    HOUSE.  SCHEDULES     OF    COSTS. WHAT   GOES    INTO    A 

HOUSE. SCHEDULE    "  B." COST    DETAILS. 


WHAT  makes  the  cost  of  a  house  ?  Everything  that  has 
been  placed  on  the  lot  when  the  structure  is  completed. 
Below  is  a  form  or  schedule,  with  blanks,  filled  out  by  an  archi- 
tect for  a  gentleman  for  whom  he  made  plans. 

John  Smith,  —  As  I  understand  your  wants,  would  estimate  the  cost  of 
improvements  contemplated  on  No.     Delaware  Street  as  follows  :  — 

Building — ist  floor  finish  hard  wood,  2d  floor  finish  poplar,  $3,000 

Privy  and  Vault $35 

Cistern  and  Connections  .......  50 

Well,  Connections,  and  Pump 35 

Walks,  40  yards  at  70  cents      ......  28 

Fences  —  Tight  board,  160  feet  at  25  cents,  Picket  none,  40 

Illuminating-Gas  Pipe       .......  30 

Plumbing  —  Cellar  sink   1,   Kitchen   sink    1,  Bath-tub   1, 

W.  C.  1,  W.  S.  1,  St.  Washer  1,  City  and  Cistern  Water,  275 


Natural-Gas  Pipe,  without  burners  or  burner  fittings 
Gas  Fixtures     ..... 
Mantels  and  Grates  3,  Average  cost  $40 
Furnace    ...... 

Plate  Glass 

Cathedral  Glass        .... 
Electric  Work  —  Door  bell  2,  Kitchen  bell  1 

Without  Architect's  fee     . 


35 

5° 

120 

250 

5° 
25 

25 


1,128 

$4,128 


Everything  that  goes  into  a  house  should  be  fully  represented 
to  the  owner.  Thus  the  costs  may  be  fixed  and  the  aggregate 
understood.  If  this  were  universally  done,  there  would  be  less 
said   about   the    unreliability    of   architects'    estimates.     If   the 

264 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  265 

architect  is  very  careful  to  make  known  to  the  owner  the  quality 
of  everything  that  he  is  to  have,  and,  as  well,  the  general  quan- 
tities and  costs,  he  is  doing  his  full  duty  in  this  matter.  Any- 
thing less  than  this  is  a  neglect  of  duty.  Furthermore,  this 
should  be  made  a  matter  of  record,  so  that  if  changes  are  made 
and  the  cost  altered,  a  basis  for  comparison  may  be  at  hand.  It 
is  the  practice  of  the  writer  to  use  a  specification  which  describes 
everything  which  may  be  a  part  of  a  brick  or  a  frame  house,  and 
to  stamp  out  the  parts  omitted.  For  example,  in  that  specifica- 
tion there  are  specified  brick  and  cemented  floors  for  cellar.  It 
is  the  custom  to  stamp  the  word  "  No"  before  the  words  brick 
floor,  so  that  it  reads  "No  brick  floor  in  cellar."  In  other  cases 
it  may  be  "  No  lattice  work  in  side  yard,"  etc.  Thus  the  owner 
of  the  house  knows  not  only  what  he  is  to  get,  but  what  he  is 
not  to  get,  and  the  exact  quality  of  that  which  is  included  as  well 
as  that  which  is  omitted.  He  has  positive  and  negative  informa- 
tion with  respect  to  his  house.  This  form  of  specification  has 
been  in  use  three  years,  and  has  been  uniformly  satisfactory. 

The  schedule  filled  out  for  Mr.  Smith  is  a  printed  form, 
which  is  handed  to  the  owner  as  soon  as  the  building  cost  is 
determined.  It  is  in  addition  to  the  detailed  specification.  In  the 
schedule  the  cost  of  the  building  is  put  down  at  three  thousand 
dollars.  The  appurtenances  are  the  items  mentioned  below  the 
line  which  gives  the  price  of  the  building  proper,  and  in  this 
instance  are  estimated  at  $1,128.  The  house  estimate  is  $3,000. 
This  makes  a  total  cost  of  $4,128.  The  house  was  a  well- 
finished  building  of  nine  rooms.  The  parlor  and  hall  were  fin- 
ished in  quartered  oak,  the  dining  and  sitting  rooms  in  quartered 
sycamore,  the  rear  hall  in  quartered  oak,  the  china-room  in 
sycamore,  kitchen  and  pantry  in  plain  oak.  It  would  have  cost 
about   $125    less  to  finish  the  first  floor  of  this  house  in  soft 


266  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

wood.  It  is  not  possible  to  give  general  statements  as  to 
the  difference  in  cost  of  finishing  between  hard  and  soft  wood. 
Twenty  to  thirty-five  dollars  a  room  is  generally  ample,  though 
the  difference  may  be  greater. 

The  privy  building  was  figured  at  twenty  dollars,  and  the 
vault  at  a  dollar  a  foot.  The  cistern  and  connections  at  fifty 
cents  a  barrel.  Thus  a  hundred-barrel  cistern  costs  fifty  dollars. 
The  well  pump,  which  was  located  in  the  kitchen,  was  a  cheap 
form  of  horizontal  force-pump  fastened  to  the  floor,  with  the 
handle  coming  up  near  the  kitchen  table.  It  supplied  water  to 
the  kitchen  sink.  It,  as  well  as  the  cistern  pump,  was  included 
in  the  plumbing  contract.  The  walks  were  ordinary  brick  walks 
laid  in  sand.  Tight-board  fence  was  figured,  as  shown,  at 
twenty-five  cents  a  lineal  foot.  The  illuminating-gas  pipe  was 
figured  at  a  little  less  than  the  price  given  on  schedule  "  B," 
but  was  ample.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  plumbing  work. 
The  gas  fixtures  were  neat  brass  goods  that  looked  plain  in  the 
store  surrounded  with  very  elaborate  ones,  but  were  entirely 
satisfactory  when  in  the  house.  The  mantels  and  grates,  as 
may  be  judged  by  their  cost,  were  not  very  elaborate.  How- 
ever, they  were  of  wood,  the  same  style  and  finish  as  the  room. 
There  were  bevelled-glass  mirrors  above  the  shelves.  The  hearth 
and  facing  were  of  unglazed  tile,  the  grate- frame  of  brass,  the 
grate  itself  club  pattern,  and  altogether  it  was  simple  but  pleas- 
ing. The  furnace  was  of  wrought-iron,  riveted  joints,  with  gal- 
vanized iron  jacket.  It  would  have  cost  about  fifteen  or  twenty 
dollars  more  to  set  it  in  brick.  This  price  included  regis- 
ters, pipes  in  the  wall,  and  all  connections.  If  the  building  had 
cost  a  thousand  dollars  more,  or  even  two  thousand,  the  appur- 
tenances need  not  have  cost  more  than  a  hundred  to  a  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  additional.     There  would  probably  have  been  a 


PR  A  CTICAL   HO  USE-B  UILDING. 


267 


little  more  gas  pipe,  a  few  more  fixtures,  and  the  furnace  would 
have  been  somewhat  more  expensive  ;  or,  if  the  house  had  cost 
five  hundred  dollars  less,  the  appurtenances  would  not  have 
represented  in  all  more  than  seventy-five  dollars  difference,  pro- 
viding the  general  requirements  had  been  the  same. 

The  following  schedule  was  prepared  for  Mr.  Brown.  His 
was  an  eight-room  house  ;  smaller,  less  elaborate,  but  just  as  well 
built,  as  the  one  for  Mr.  Smith.  He  did  not  have  quite  as  much 
plumbing,  and  reduced  the  other  appurtenances  somewhat. 
Altogether  they  represent  $801.  If  his  had  been  a  fifteen-hun- 
dred-dollar house,  and  the  same  general  conditions  had  been  met, 
the  appurtenances  would  not  have  cost  any  less.  Likewise,  if  it 
had  been  a  two-thousand-dollar  house,  they  would  have  cost  no 
more.  Additions  to  size  of  rooms  or  a  more  elaborate  finish 
would  not  have  appreciably  affected  the  cost  of  the  appurte- 
nances.    It  is  well  to  bear  this  in  mind  when  building. 

William  Brown,  —  As  I  understand  your  wants,  would  estimate  the  cost 
of  improvements  contemplated  on  No.     Alabama  Street  as  follows:  — 


Building — 1st  floor  finish  hard  wood,  2d  floor  finish  poplar, 

Privy  and  Vault $40 

Cistern  and  Connections  .......     40 

No  Well,  Connections,  and  Pump 

Walks,  30  yards  at  70  cents      .         .         .         .         .         .21 

Fences  —  Tight  board,  100  at  25  cents,  Picket  none         .     25 
Illuminating-Gas  Pipe      .         .  ,.         .         .     25 

Plumbing — Cellar  sink  none,  Kitchen  sink  1,  Bath-tub  1, 

W.  C.  1,  W.  S.  1,  St.  Washer  1,  City  Water  .         .         .200 
Natural-Gas  Pipe,  without  burners  or  burner  fittings         .     30 
Gas  Fixtures     .........     35 

Mantels  and  Grates  3,  Average  cost  $40  .         .  .120 

Furnace    ..........  240 

Plate  Glass 20 

Cathedral  Glass  none        ....... 

Electric  Work  —  Door  bell  1,  Kitchen  bell  none       .         .       5 

Without  Architect's  fee    .......  i 


$1,700 


801 


,2,501 


268  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

The  two  examples  given  show  the  method  of  filling  out 
a  cost  schedule,  which,  by  the  way,  is  seldom  presented  in 
this  form  to  the  owner  of  a  house  by  his  architect.  It  now 
remains  to  indicate,  in  general  terms,  the  basis  of  values  as  before 
given.  It  is  not  intended  to  form  this  book  on  the  "  every-man- 
his-own-architect "  principle,  but  it  is  constructed  on  the  idea 
that  every  one  should  know  as  much  about  the  business  in  hand 
as  is  possible,  before  calling  for  other  assistance.  For  this  pur- 
pose certain  prices  are  given  which  are  a  little  in  advance  of 
those  charged  in  the  section  of  country  to  which  they  apply. 
This  is  done  so  that  the  errors,  if  any,  may  be  on  the  side  of 
safety.  Generally  speaking,  there  will  not  be  any  great  differ- 
ence in  the  cost  of  the  appurtenances  mentioned.  It  is  the  cost 
of  the  building  proper  which  varies.  The  cost  of  the  buildings 
illustrated  is  given,  unless  otherwise  mentioned,  on  a  basis  of 
hard-wood  finish  for  the  first  floor  excepting  kitchen,  and  soft 
wood  above,  all  finished  in  oil. 

Below  is  the  schedule  "  B,"  so  frequently  referred  to  in  the 
description  of  house  plans. 

SCHEDULE    "B." 

Building.  —  First  floor  finish  hard  wood  ;  second  floor,  soft  wood. 

Where  estimates  are  given  in  the  book  on  the  basis  of  schedule  "B," 
they  include  only  the  building,  as  mentioned  above,  and  do  not  include 
the  following  items  :  — 

Privy  building,  $20;  vault,  $1  per  foot  for  each  foot  in  depth. 

Cistern  and  connections,  $0.50  per  barrel ;  pump,  $5  to  $35  ;  well,  $0.75 
per  lineal  foot ;  pump  and  connections,  $5  to  $35.  (Force  pump  included 
in  plumbing  contract.) 

Walks  of  brick,  $0.70  per  square  yard;  cement,  $1.80  per  square  yard. 

Fences:  tight-board,  $0.25  per  lineal  foot;  picket,  $0.50  per  lineal  foot, 
painted  three  coats. 

Illuminating-gas  pipe,  $1.50  to  $2  per  connection. 


PR  A  CTICAL  HO  USE-B  UILDING. 


269 


set     $ 


10 

25 
3° 
5° 
30 
25 
40 
12 


Plumbing  —  Cellar  sink,  plain  iron     . 

Hot-water  boiler  and  back 

Kitchen  sink,  city  and  hot  and  cold  cistern  water 

Force  pump  and  tank 

Bath-tub,  14  oz.  copper  . 

Wash-stand     . 

Water-closet  "  washout  " 

Street-washer  . 

City  service,  $0.35  a  foot,  lineal, 

Drain  connection,  $0.30  a  foot,  lineal, 

[For  other   piping   and    connections    add    twenty  per  cent   of   above 
aggregate.] 
Natural-gas  piping,  without  burners,  $4  a  fire. 
Gas  fixtures,  about  $1.50  per  burner. 
Mantels  and  grates,  average  cost,  $40. 
Furnace,  for  all  pipes  and  connections,  nine  registers,  $240;  add  $16  for 

each  additional  second-story  connection  ;  $8  for  first-story  connection. 
Plate  glass,  $0.50  to  $0.75  a  square  foot,  according  to  size. 
Cathedral  glass,  plain,  $0.30  a  foot;  leaded,  from  $1  upward. 
Electric  work  —  door  bells,  each  $6  ;  kitchen  bell,  $6. 


laid, 
laid. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

VARYING     BUILDING     VALUES. COST     OF     APPURTENANCES. PRICES 

OF    LABOR    AND    MATERIAL    ON    WHICH    ESTIMATES    ARE    BASED. 

THE  cost  of  building  varies  in  different  sections.     At  the 
end   of  this  chapter  will  be  found  a  list  of   prices  upon 
which  the  building  estimates  of  this  book  are  based. 

The  plumbing  schedule  is  formed  so  that  one  may  see 
about  what  the  different  items  of  a  completed  plumbing  outfit 
cost.  Figuring  sixty  feet  of  service  and  seventy  feet  of 
drain,  the  plumbing  outfit  would  cost,  as  indicated,  $328.  It 
has  been  furnished  for  less.  The  figures  given  in  connection 
with  plumbing  work  are  not  necessarily  accurate.  They  are 
approximately  so  in  detail.  As  no  two  plumbers  or  other 
mechanics  will  figure  exactly  the  same  on  the  same  fixtures,  or 
the  same  material  and  labor,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  an 
architect  could  form  a  thumb-rule  schedule  which  would  be  sat- 
isfactory to  plumbers  and  all  others.  In  the  class  of  work  con- 
templated in  this  specification,  the  tendency  of  these  figures  is 
in  the  right  direction.  They  are  as  nearly  correct  as  general 
statements  can  be.  It  is  known  that  a  single  bath-tub  can  be 
fitted  up  to  cost  more  than  the  entire  plumbing  outfit  here  men- 
tioned. It  would  afford  no  more  conveniences  to  the  occupant 
of  the  house,  and  would  be  no  safer  from  a  sanitary  standpoint ; 
and  it  probably  would  require  more  labor  to  care  for  than  the 
one  contemplated.  The  estimates  are  on  the  basis  of  a  specifi- 
cation   which   would    meet   with    the    approval    of    the    public 

sanitary  inspectors  in  any  of  the  large  cities. 

270 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  271 

Where  there  is  a  material  reduction  in  the  number  of  fixtures 
and  connections  from  the  list  given,  the  percentage  for  other 
piping  and  connections  will  have  to  be  increased. 

There  are  various  ways  of  reducing  the  cost  of  the  outfit. 
The  best  way  is  to  have  less  of  it ;  for  instance,  only  city  water 
may  be  used,  or,  possibly,  only  the  cistern  water.  The  com- 
pleted plumbing  outfit  mentioned  in  schedule  "  B,"  with  the 
exception  of  cistern-water  connections,  including  hot  and  cold 
city  water  for  sink,  wash-stand,  and  bath-tub,  has  been  put  in,  in 
plan  No.  30,  for  $245. 

The  natural-gas-piping  figure,  like  the  others,  is  liable  to 
vary.  Piping  for  five  fires  has  been  put  in  for  $20,  for  $15, 
and  for  $30.  The  burners,  the  burner  valves  and  mixers,  usually 
cost  from  four  to  five  dollars  a  fire. 

The  gas-fixture  schedule  is  priced  by  the  burner,  not  by  the 
connection.  Each  burner  of  each  fixture  is  counted.  Of  course 
one  may  get  a  single  fixture  which  will  cost  as  much  as  the 
above  rule  would  figure  on  a  whole  outfit,  but  that  is  unusual  in 
moderate-cost  houses.  Some  of  the  second-story  brackets  will 
cost  from  ninety  cents  to  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  apiece.  This 
will  increase  the  price  of  burner  margin  for  the  first  floor,  and 
allow  more  elaborate  fixtures. 

The  mantels  are  priced  to  include  grate,  hearth,  facings,  and 
everything  that  may  go  there,  excepting  fender  and  blower. 
One  may  get  a  mantel  for  $25  or  $30,  or  he  may  use  a  grate 
setting  without  a  mantel,  or  may  go  as  far  into  the  hundreds  as 
his  inclination  and  means  will  lead  him.  Very  expensive  man- 
tels in  moderate-cost  houses  are  not  in  good  taste.  A  $100  or 
$150  mantel  in  a  room  all  of  the  other  wood-work  of  which  did 
not  cost  over  half  that  sum,  is  in  exceedingly  bad  form.  The 
mantel    appears    like    a    monument ;    everything   around    it    is 


272  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

insignificant.  In  buying  mantels  from  stock  in  mantel  stores, 
the  cheaper  ones  are  generally  the  best  designed  from  an  artistic 
standpoint. 

The  furnace  price  is  necessarily  arbitrary.  The  owner  of  a 
house  will  be  told  that  the  price  here  given  is  too  high  and  too 
low.  A  moderate-sized,  two-story,  eight-room  house,  which, 
counting  the  bath-room,  would  have  nine  connections,'  could  be 
provided  with  a  furnace  of  wrought-iron  or  steel,  riveted  joints, 
double  galvanized-iron  jacket,  for  $240.  The  same  furnace  brick- 
set  will  cost  from  fifteen  to  twenty  dollars  more.  The  owner 
of  such  a  house  can  get  a  cheaper  furnace,  or  he  can  get  one 
which  will  be  much  more  expensive.  Oftentimes  when  an  archi- 
tect estimates  the  price  of  a  furnace  to  the  owner,  the  latter  will 
respond  with  the  statement  that  he  has  been  offered  a  furnace 
complete  for  ninety  dollars.  Upon  investigation  it  generally 
proves  that  the  furnace  is  in  some  one's  store  ready  for  delivery ; 
that  it  will  cost  extra  to  set  it,  and  for  all  connections,  fittings, 
registers,  etc. ;  and  that  the  furnace  itself  is  of  such  a  kind  that 
ninety  dollars  is  a  high  price  for  it.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
statement  as  to  furnace  prices  will  meet  with  general  disapproval 
from  manufacturers.  Many  will  say  that  the  prices  given  are 
ridiculously  high,  and  others,  ridiculously  low.  Other  general 
statements  as  to  heating  apparatus  may  be  found  in  a  chapter 
given  to  that  subject  in  that  section  of  the  book  devoted  to  the 
Journey  through  the  House. 

The  estimates  given  on  plate  and  cathedral  glass  are  about 
as  unsatisfactory  as  anything  can  be.  They  merely  give  the 
owner  a  general  idea  as  to  what  to  expect. 

Electric-work  prices  are  approximately  correct  for  localities 
where  the  facilities  for  doing  this  kind  of  work  are  at  hand. 
Door  and  table  bell  outfits  are  now  sold  and  arranged  ready  to 


PRACTICAL   HOUSE-BUILDING.  273 

be  set  up.  The  methods  of  their  adjustment  are  so  simple  that 
any  one  who  can  read  can  put  them  in. 

The  general  statement  may  be  made  that  these  prices  are 
approximately  correct  in  all  the  larger  markets;  and  that  in 
cases  where  the  building  is  far  removed  therefrom,  there  must 
necessarily  be  additions  for  travel  of  workmen,  and  other  inci- 
dental expenses  in  the  transportation  of  material  and  labor. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  prices  of  material  and  labor  upon 
which  the  building  estimates  are  based  :  — 

Excavating,  $0.25  a  yard. 

Brick  in  the  wall,  $9  per  M. 

Mason  work,  $5.50  a  yard,  laid  up. 

Cement  floors,  $0.70  a  square  yard. 

Timber,  joist,  and  scantling,  less  than  eighteen  feet  long,  $17  per  M. 

No.  1  common  boards,  $18  per  M. 

Select  common  pine  flooring,  count  measure,  $26  per  M. 

Common  flooring,  count  measure,  $22.50  per  M. 

First  quality  yellow  pine  flooring,  face  measure,  $37.50  per  M. 

Standard  yellow  pine  flooring,  face  measure,  $30  per  M. 

No.  1  poplar  flooring,  face  measure,  $28.50  per  M. 

No.  2  poplar  flooring,  face  measure,  $23.50  per  M. 

No.  1  stock  boards,  $20  per  M. 

No.  1  poplar  siding  or  weather-boarding,  $18  per  M. 

No.  2,  $16  per  M. 

No  1  pine  siding,  $22  per  M. 

No.  2,  $20  per  M. 

Shingles,  16  inches  clear  butts,  best,  per  M,  $3.75. 

Shingles,  16  inches  extra,  10  inches  clear  butts,  $3.25. 

Pine  lath,  per  M,  $2.50. 

Poplar  and  pine  finishing  lumber,  $3.75  to  $6  per  100  feet. 

Oak  or  maple  flooring,  first  class,  $4  to  $6  per  100  feet. 

Oak  finishing  lumber,  $4  to  $6  per  100  feet. 

Under  certain   conditions   the   above   prices   are   subject   to 
discounts. 


274  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

Plastering :  three-coat  work,  plaster-of-Paris  finish,  $0.25  a  yard ;  two- 
coat  work,  plaster-of-Paris  finish,  $0.20  ;  gray  floated  sand  finish,  three  cents 
extra  on  above  prices. 

Painting,  $0.06  per  yard  a  coat. 

Labor:  common  labor,  $0.15  an  hour;  bricklayers  and  masons,  $0.35  to 
$0.45  an  hour;  carpenters,  $0.20  to  $0.30  an  hour;  tinners,  $0.30  an  hour  ; 
painters,  $0.20  to  $0.30  an  hour;  plumber  and  helper,  $0.50  an  hour. 

The  above  labor  prices  are  those  paid  by  the  contractors. 
Rarely,  however,  are  the  maximum  prices  reached. 

There  are  few  subjects  on  which  ideas  vary  so  greatly  as 
values.  This  fact  may  be  made  apparent  when  we  call  to  mind 
that  bids  on  a  house  let  for  $3,000  frequently  range  $1,000 
higher  than  this  figure. 


BUSINESS  POINTS  IN  BUILDING. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

LOW-COST     HOUSES. METHODS     OF     MAKING     CONTRACTS. ARCHI- 
TECTS'   ESTIMATES. BUILDING    BY   THE   DAY. THE  SAFEST  PLAN. 

GUARDING    AGAINST    LIENS. 

ALO\y~COST,  well-built  house  is  sought  by  all.  The  cost 
of  a  house  is  largely  a  question  of  business  management, 
—  one  of  knowledge.  Before  considering  the  details  of  con- 
tracting for  the  building  of  a  house,  there  are  a  few  general 
points  which  should  be  mentioned.  First,  it  never  pays  to  make 
a  contract  to  have  a  house  built  for  less  than  it  is  worth.  In 
order  to  get  a  good  house,  it  is  necessary  that  there  be  a  margin 
of  profit  for  the  builder.  Second,  a  good  house  from  a  con- 
structive standpoint  can  only  be  built  by  competent  mechanics. 
One  may  contract  for  the  building  of  a  house  for  less  than  it  is 
r  worth  with  parties  who  are  incapable  of  doing  first-class  work, 
and  require  a  bond  to  secure  the  faithful  execution  of  the  con- 
tract. A  contract  or  a  bond  cannot  make  a  man  do  good  work 
if  he  does  not  know  how  to  do  it.  It  will  not  save  anxiety 
or  trouble.  It  may  indemnify  against  actual  damages,  but  never 
against  trouble  and  vexation  ;  nor  can  it  compensate  for  poor 
work  done  in  building  a  home.  This  matter  is  mentioned 
because  it  is  the  fault  of  a  great  many  people,  who  are  inexpe- 
rienced in  building,  that  they  are  disposed  to  have  work  done 
for  less  than  it  is  worth.     It  does  not  pay. 

It  may  be  remembered,  however,  that  one  builder  may  be 

able  to  build  for  less  than  another.     One  may  have  more  energy, 

277 


27' 


CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


tact,  or  general  ability  than  another.  He  may  have  better 
credit ;  may  be  a  better  buyer.  The  result  is  larger  accomplish- 
ments. 

In  speaking  of  low-cost  houses  or  cheap  buildings,  it  is  not 
to  be  understood  that  they  are  cheap  or  low-cost  in  the  sense  of 
being  common  or  frail.  I  mean  first-class  houses  at  a  rela- 
tively low  cost ;  low  cost  in  a  business  sense,  the  best  for  the 
money. 

We  often  hear  the  statement  made  that  one  can  tell  nothing 
definite  about  the  cost  of  a  house  until  it  is  finished.  One  can 
come  as  near  knowing  what  a  house  will  cost,  as  he  can  to 
knowing  what  he  wants  before  he  begins.  One  can  get  prices 
on  what  he  has  in  mind,  if  his  ideas  be  expressed.  He  cannot 
get  prices  on  the  unknown.  The  expression  of  one's  ideas 
of  a  house  is  through  plans  and  specifications.  The  fact  that 
architects'  estimates  are  often  too  low  is  because  the  owner  is 
not  sufficiently  informed  in  house-building  to  know  what  he 
wants  until  after  the  estimate  is  made.  The  owner  usually 
expresses  a  price  that  he  wishes  to  pay  for  his  house  before  he 
expresses  his  idea.     It  may  be  well  to  illustrate  this. 

One  who  wishes  to  build  goes  to  an  architect  with  some 
sketches  or  prints,  which  he  has  been  collecting,  lays  them 
down  and  says,  — 

"  We're  thinking  about  building  a  house.  We  want  some- 
thing like  this.     Here  are  four  rooms  and  a  hall  downstairs,  and 

o 

four  rooms  and  a  bath-room  above.  We  want  to  build  of  wood, 
and  wish  to  have  the  house  warm  and  substantial.  Can  it  be 
built  for  three  thousand  dollars  ?     It's  all  we  have  to  put  in  it." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  says  the  architect ;  and  so  it  can.  A  good,  com- 
fortable, substantial  house,  from  the  plans  indicated,  can  be 
built  for  three  thousand  dollars.     The  architect  knows  this,  and 


BUSINESS  POINTS  IN  BUILDING.  279 

says  that  the  work  can  be  done  for  that  price.  He  is 
ordered  to  make  the  plans.  In  a  day  or  two  the  owner  comes 
into  his  office  and  says,  — 

"  My  wife  and  I  were  talking  over  the  house  last  night,  and 
concluded  that  we  would  like  to  have  a  bay  window  from  the 
dining-room,  —  a  place  where  we  can  sit  in  summer,  and  put 
flowers  in  the  winter." 

"All  right." 

"And  she  told  me  to  ask  where  you  were  going  to  put  a 
wash-stand  downstairs.  You  know  we  will  want  some  kind  of 
a  wash-room." 

"  I  hadn't  thought  anything  about  that,"  said  the  architect. 
"  Nothing  was  said  about  it.  I  supposed  that  in  a  house  of  this 
size  the  bath-room  was  the  only  place  where  you  would  put  a 
stationary  wash-stand." 

"We  have  to  have  a  place  downstairs.  We  can't  go  up- 
stairs every  time  we  want  to  wash  our  hands." 

Another  two  or  three  days  pass.  The  owner  visits  the 
architect  again.  It  is  the  old  story.  He  and  his  wife  have 
been  studying  the  house  question  in  earnest.  They  are  edu- 
cating themselves  in  house-buildino-.  The  more  thev  think 
about  it,  the  more  they  want,  all  of  which  is  perfectly  natural 
and  right.  It  is  in  the  natural  order  of  things.  It  is  the  way 
the  world  moves. 

"We  were  talking  about  the  house,  and  have  about  con- 
cluded that  we  will  finish  two  front  rooms  upstairs  in  oak. 
What  do  you  think  it  will  cost  ?  " 

"If  you  use  oak  for  all  the  wood- work,  it  will  cost  between 
forty  and  fifty  dollars." 

"That  isn't  much.     We'll  have  it." 

And  so  the  house  grows  as  the  owners  grow,  a  little  every 


280  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

day.  The  next  day  it  is  a  little  more  plate  glass  at  a  cost  of 
fifteen  dollars.  Again,  it  is  bronze  hardware  at  an  extra  cost 
of  twenty  dollars.  Then  it  is  bevelled-glass  doors  in  the  china- 
closet,  plastering  in  the  attic,  a  tile  vestibule,  a  porch  off  from 
the  dining-room,  and  so  on. 

The  three  thousand  dollars  is  exceeded,  though  probably  by 
something  less  than  the  amount  represented  by  the  growth  of 
the  owner's  ideas.  The  architect  had  made  a  certain  allowance 
for  this  development,  though  it  was  not  possible  for  him  entirely 
to  foresee  it.  Of  those  who  build,  the  ones  who  take  the  great- 
est interest  in  the  house,  those  who  think  the  most  about  it,  are 
usually  the  ones  who  exceed  their  original  calculations  by  the 
largest  amount. 

In  building,  it  is  important  that  the  architect  and  the  owner 
thoroughly  understand  each  other  before  contracts  with  the 
builders  are  signed.  The  wants  of  the  owner  must  be  thor- 
oughly understood,  and  carefully  and  accurately  set  forth.  From 
the  plans  and  specifications  estimates  for  all  parts  of  the  work 
should  be  received,  and  the  cost  of  everything  known,  before 
obligations  are  created.  The  process  of  making  the  plans  and 
specifications,  and  taking  the  bids,  is  educational  in  its  tendency. 
It  brings  to  the  owner's  attention  nearly  everything  that  he 
may  want.  Frequently  he  will  find  that  the  first  estimates 
which  he  gets  are  higher  than  the  amount  he  cared  to  expend. 
This  is  on  account  of  his  growth.  He  can  frequently  reduce 
the  cost  without  positive  injury  to  the  original  scheme. 

We  will  consider  how  contracts  are  usually  made.  Some- 
times it  is  by  making  plans  and  specifications  for  the  entire 
house,  and  then  asking  for  bids  on  the  building  as  a  whole.  A 
general  contractor  makes  his  figures  on  the  various  parts  of  the 
work,  then  adds  them  together  and  makes  a  lump  bid.     If  he  is 


BUSINESS  POINTS  IN  BUILDING.  28 1 

awarded  the  contract  under  such  a  system,  he  does  part  of  the 
work  himself  and  sublets  the  rest.  Possibly  he  may  be  a  car- 
penter; then  he  sublets  the  brick  work,  plastering,  tinning, 
painting,  etc.,  and,  if  possible,  he  makes  a  profit  on  all  of  these 
sub-contracts.  It  does  not  always  happen  that  he  makes  figures 
on  these  various  divisions  of  the  contract  himself  when  forming- 
his  orio-inal  bid.  He  o;ets  sub-bids  from  various  mechanics  and 
adds  these  to  his  own  in  making  up  a  lump  bid.  It  is  known 
that  there  is  a  very  wide  range  of  difference  between  bids  which 
come  in  this  way.  In  a  house  to  cost  three  thousand  dollars 
the  bids  not  infrequently  vary  twenty-five  to  thirty  per  cent. 
The  highest  bid  may  be  over  four  thousand  dollars. 

Another  way  of  contracting  is  for  the  architect  or  owner,  as 
the  case  may  be.  to  take  bids  on  the  various  details  of  excavat- 
ing, stone  work,  brick  work,  carpenter  work,  painting,  plaster- 
ing, galvanized  iron  and  tin,  glass,  plumbing,  gas-fitting,  etc.  ; 
in  fact,  to  detail  the  work  as  much  as  possible  and  receive 
detailed  bids.  If  the  work  costs  too  much,  if  the  bids  run  too 
high,  one  can  locate  the  excess. 

At  times  one  can  get  a  cheaper  house  by  pursuing  this  plan. 
Another  plan  of  building  is  by  the  day.  Usually  this  means  to 
employ  carpenters  and  a  foreman,  take  bids  on  the  material  that 
the  carpenters  use,  and  to  sublet  the  mason  work,  excavating, 
painting,  plastering,  tin-work,  plumbing,  etc.  Sometimes  the 
mason-work  is  also'  done  by  the  day. 

Each  plan  has  its  merits.  The  first  mentioned,  of  letting 
most  of  the  work  in  one  contract,  is  the  one  in  most  general  use. 
It  is  common  practice  in  this  connection  to  let  excavating, 
mason  work,  carpenter  work,  plastering,  tinning,  painting,  and 
hardware  in  one  general  contract ;  then  the  mantels,  gas-fixtures, 
furnace,  plumbing,  electric  work,  and  ornamental  glass  work  are 


282  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

let  in  separate  contracts.  It  is  difficult  for  one  to  specify  gas- 
fixtures,  mantels,  and  similar  fittings,  excepting  by  price.  There 
is  no  satisfaction  in  this,  for  the  reason  that  the  owner  or  his 
architect  may  be  able  to  make  quite  as  good  or  even  a  better 
bargain  than  the  contractor.  Then  there  is  no  opportunity  for 
the  builder  to  arrange  for  a  relatively  high  price  with  those  who 
furnish  this  class  of  goods.  It  is  fair  for  the  builder  to  assume 
that  he  is  entitled  to  a  certain  percentage  for  selecting  and 
negotiating  for  such  articles.  The  owner  may  save  this  for 
himself  by  making  his  own  purchases. 

Plumbing  work  is  frequently  separated  from  the  general 
contract  in  order  that  the  owner  may  exercise  his  discretion  as 
to  the  workmen  employed  to  do  this  important  work.  In  such 
circumstances  it  is  not  altogether  a  matter  of  cost.  It  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  the  best  of  workmen  be  employed. 

The  articles  which  cannot  be  directly  specified  should  be 
secured  outside  the  general  contract.  Altogether,  the  plan  of 
letting  most  of  the  work  in  one  contract,  as  outlined,  is  the  best 
and  safest  for  those  to  pursue  who  are  not  thoroughly  familiar 
with  building  operations. 

The  plan  of  subletting  the  separate  contracts  to  the  lowest 
bidders  is  not  to  be  recommended  to  those  without  large  experi- 
ence. The  difficulty  in  locating  responsibility  for  delays  is  great. 
There  is  apt  to  be  contention,  annoyance,  and  sometimes  loss, 
by  this  confusion.  The  plan  of  building  by  the  day  is  more 
satisfactory  for  experienced  builders  than  the  one  just  men- 
tioned, but  it  has  the  disadvantage  of  not  fully  representing  to 
the  owner  before  it  is  finished  the  cost  of  his  structure. 

In  nearly  every  city  or  town  there  are  a  number  of  good 
builders,  not  well  supplied  with  means,  who  will  take  a  contract 
for  building  a  house,  work  on  it  themselves  until  it  is  finished, 


BUSINESS  POINTS  IN  BUILDING.  283 

and  then  take  another,  never  having  more  than  one  or  two 
houses  on  hand.  One  can  frequently  get  good  work  from  such 
builders  at  a  much  less  cost  than  from  large  contractors.  The 
larger  contractors  employ  a  foreman  at  about  the  same  price  a 
day  that  the  small  contractors  expect  to  get  per  day  out  of  their 
entire  contract.  Then,  in  addition  to  that,  they  receive  their 
profits  of  ten,  fifteen,  or  other  per  cent  for  their  time  and  atten- 
tion. Any  one  building  with  the  help  of  the  smaller  contractors 
must  be  very  careful,  or  he  will  get  into  trouble  on  account  of 
the  small  margin  of  profit. 

To  recur  to  the  method  first  mentioned.  It  is  well  that  sug- 
gestions be  made  as  to  the  course  to  be  pursued  in  receiving 
bids  on  work,  as  classified  in  that  suggestion.  In  the  first  place, 
there  should  be  accurate  plans  and  specifications  made  by  an 
architect  capable  of  doing  that  kind  of  work.  Everything  should 
be  fully  represented  to  the  owner  in  both  a  positive  and  nega- 
tive way  ;  that  is,  not  only  as  to  what  is  to  go  into  his  house, 
but  as  to  what  is  not  to  go  into  it.  As  soon  as  the  architect  or 
those  in  charge  of  the  work  beg-in  to  take  bids,  the  owner  should 
be  provided  with  a  complete  copy  of  the  plans  and  specifications, 
in  order  that  he  may  be  fully  conversant  with  what  is  to  be  done, 
It  was  said  that  everything  should  be  represented  to  the  owner 
in  both  a  positive  and  negative  way.  Not  only  should  it  be 
stated  to  him  that  the  first  floor  of  the  house  is  to  be  plastered, 
but,  if  such  is  the  case,  that  the  cellar  is  not  to  be  plastered.  If 
the  cellar  floor  is  not  to  be  cemented,  it  should  be  stated  defi- 
nitely to  him  in  that  way  before  beginning  to  take  bids.  If  fly- 
screens  are  not  included  in  the  building  contract,  it  should  be  so 
stated.  Everything  should  be  fully  represented,  and  a  record 
thereof  placed  before  the  owner,  so  that  there  can  be  not  the 
slightest    opportunity   for    misunderstanding    or   disagreement. 


284  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

Thus,  if  everything  is  presented  to  the  owner,  he  will  know  what 
he  is  to  have  and  what  he  is  not  to  have,  and  his  business  will 
be  done  for  him  in  a  way  satisfactory  to  all.  When  this  is  done, 
it  is  time  to  begin  taking  bids. 

In  doing  this  there  should  be  no  favoritism.  The  builder 
should  be  allowed  to  take  a  copy  of  the  plans  and  specifications 
with  him  to  his  office  or  place  of  business,  and  keep  them  a 
day  or  more,  in  order  to  take  off  his  quantities  and  become 
thoroughly  conversant  with  everything  connected  with  them. 
Then  he  can  return  the  plans,  and,  while  others  are  doing  the 
same  thing,  he  can  compile  his  figures.  Generally  it  takes  about 
a  day  for  each  contractor  to  get  through  with  a  set  of  plans  ; 
that  is,  if  five  bids  are  received,  it  generally  takes  five  or  six 
days,  assuming  that  only  one  set  of  plans  is  in  use.  No  one 
should  be  asked  to  figure  on  a  building  unless  the  owner  is 
willing  to  award  him  the  contract,  providing  his  bid  is  the  lowest. 
Anything  else  is  unfair.  When  all  the  bids  have  been  received 
in  sealed  envelopes,  the  architect  and  owner  may  open  them. 
After  selecting  the  lowest,  they  may  add  to  that  figure  the  cost 
of  everything  not  included  in  that  proposition,  —  the  furnace, 
mantels,  gas  fixtures,  ornamental  glass,  and  anything  else  that 
has  not  been  included  in  the  bid.  This  may  be  readily  done, 
if  the  architect  provide  a  schedule,  similar  to  schedule  "  B,"  of 
everything  which  may  go  into  the  house. 

In  the  matter  of  closing  the  contract,  only  general  statements 
can  be  made.  Where  an  architect  is  employed,  he  will  give 
proper  directions ;  but,  as  many  houses  are  built  without  such 
assistance,  it  is  proper  to  make  general  statements  which  will 
assist  in  this  work.  There  are  forms  of  building-contracts,  or 
articles  of  agreement,  which  may  be  secured  from  various  regu- 
lar sources.     It  is  proper  to  fix  the  time  of  the  completion  of 


BUSINESS  POINTS  IN  BUILDING.  285 

the  work,  which  will  vary  in  different  parts  of  the  country 
according  to  general  customs.  A  house  to  cost  from  fifteen 
hundred  to  four  thousand  dollars  may  be  very  easily  finished, 
under  favorable  circumstances,  in  ninety  to  a  hundred  days. 
Such  houses  can  be  built  in  less  time,  but  it  is  best  to  give  the 
builder  at  least  three  months.  He  will  do  better  work  in  that 
time  than  in  less.  For  the  higher  figure  named,  or  for  those 
which  approach  it,  it  may  be  better  to  allow  even  a  little  more 
rather  than  less  time.  As  a  price  for  liquidated  damages  in 
event  of  delay  in  completion,  the  rental  value  of  the  property 
is  the  usual  sum  specified. 

There  are  various  plans  pursued  in  the  matter  of  payments. 
Where  there  is  an  architect  or  superintendent,  he  usually  issues 
orders  on  the  owner  for  payment  of  material  and  labor  furnished 
by  a  contractor  less  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent.  Sometimes  it  is 
stated  that  two-fifths  of  the  money  will  be  paid  when  the  build- 
ing is  enclosed  and  under  roof;  one-fifth  additional  when  build- 
ing is  plastered,  painted  on  exterior,  all  exterior  appurtenances 
finished,  the  floors  laid,  and  the  house  ready  for  other  interior 
wood-work ;  and  the  remaining  two-fifths  when  all  work  is  fin- 
ished. At  times  this  apportionment  is  correct,  and  at  other  times 
not.  However,  it  is  a  very  good  general  rule.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  add  the  ten  per  cent  discount  to  it  when  possible.  Sometimes 
an  indemnifying  bond  is  required  of  the  contractor  in  order  to 
secure  the  owner  the  proper  execution  of  the  contract.  Other- 
wise the  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent  discount  is  relied  upon  to  secure 
that  end. 

The  lien  laws  in  the  various  States  make  it  very  important 
that  the  owner,  or  his  aofent  in  the  matter  of  building,  should  be 
very  careful  to  See  that  the  contractor  pays  all  his  bills,  or 
secures  releases   from  those  who  have  furnished  material  and 


286  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

labor  on  account  of  the  building  contract,  before  money  is  paid 
by  owner. 

The  law  is  different  in  various  States,  and  renders  the  owner 
liable,  under  varying  conditions,  for  material  and  labor  furnished 
to  contractor  by  others  as  employees  or  sub-contractor,  even 
though  payment  has  been  made  by  owner  to  general  contractor. 
Where  a  bond  is  not  required,  it  is  proper  for  the  owner  or  his 
agent  to  exact  releases  in  proper  form  from  those  who  have 
furnished  material  and  labor  to  contractor.  The  following  form 
is  in  use  by  the  writer :  — 

Work  located 

The  undersigned,  in  consideration  of  the  personal  credit  extended  by 
to  ,  Contractor,  hereby  consent  that 

may  pay  to  said  contractor  any  sum  that  may  be  now  owing  to,  or  may  here- 
after become  due,  said  contractor,  on  account  of  contract  for  the  construction 
of  the  above  works,  and  we  hereby  waive  all  rights  to  Mechanics'  Liens  or 
other  claims  which  we  have,  or  may  have,  against  said  property,  or  owner,  on 
account  of  labor  or  material  furnished  by  us. 

Indianapolis,  1889. 

It  is  the  custom  to  furnish  the  builder  with  a  number  of 
copies  of  the  above  release  before  it  is  time  for  him  to  secure 
an  order  on  the  owner  for  money.  As  the  architect  is  in  a  posi- 
tion to  know  from  whom  material  or  labor  is  secured,  it  is  possi- 
ble for  him  to  know  if  the  list  of  releases  is  complete.  If  not 
complete,  the  party  refusing  to  give  a  release  is  required  to  make 
statement  as  to  the  amount  of  the  indebtedness  for  material  and 
labor  furnished  on  the  contract.  The  o-eneral  contractor  is 
charged  with  the  amount  represented  as  being  clue  until  the 
matter  is  fully  adjusted.  As  an  additional  safeguard,  the  con- 
tractor is  at  times  required  to  fill  out  and  make  affidavit  to  the 
following; ;  — 


BUSINESS  POINTS  IN  BUIIDING.  287 

Indianapolis,  18S9. 

The  undersigned,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  payment  on  account  of 
contract  with  ,  for  the  construction  of  a  house,  known 

as  No-        on  Street,  situated  on  Lot        ,  Out-lot 

Division  to  City  of  Indianapolis,  Marion  County,  State  of  Indiana,  represents 
hereby  that  he  has  paid  for  all  labor  and  material  of  every  kind  and  nature 
had  and  procured  therefor,  excepting,  however,  that  he  is  now  owing  the  fol- 
lowing sums  to  the  respective  parties  hereinafter  named  for  labor  and  mate- 
rials for  said  building,  and  owes  therefor  no'other  amounts,  to  wit:  — 

In  this  connection  it  is  not  possible  to  consider  all  of  the 
ramifications  of  the  lien  law.  It  is  important  to  understand, 
however,  that  it  is  entirely  possible  for  an  owner  to  have  to  pay 
for  part  of  or  all  of  his  house  twice,  if  he  is  not  careful  in  matters 
of  this  kind. 


HOW  TO  SECURE  A  HOME. 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

MONTHLY     PAYMENTS. CALCULATIONS     ON     A     LONG-TIME     PLAN. 

PURCHASE    ON    A    RENTAL    BASIS. HOW    IT    MAY    BE    WORKED    OUT. 

IT  is  a  pleasant  thought  that  every  one  can  own  a  home  of  his 
own.  With  only  a  moderate  salary,  and  little  or  nothing 
ahead,  a  thought  of  this  kind  may  appear  more  pleasant  than 
real.  It  may  be  affirmed,  however,  that,  with  few  exceptions, 
any  one  who  can  pay  rent  may  own  his  home.  This  will  require 
certain  sacrifices  and  at  first  great  economy,  but  in  the  end  the 
result  justifies  the  means.  There  is  no  reason  why  any  one 
should  pay  rent.  Building  associations  are  instrumental  in 
securing  more  homes  for  people  on  a  long-time  plan  than  any 
other  scheme.  In  the  large  towns,  however,  houses  are  sold 
on  various  kinds  of  instalment  plans.  By  way  of  illustration, 
the  writer  calls  to  mind  a  five-room  house,  pleasantly  situated, 
which  was  built  about  three  years  ago.  This  house  is  being 
paid  for  in  instalments  of  $15  a  month.  An  arrangement  of 
this  kind  is  good  for  all  concerned.  It  is  an  easy  way  for  one 
to  get  a  home.  It  is  a  good  use  of  money,  from  a  business 
standpoint,  for  the  one  who  has  the  money  to  invest.  A  little 
demonstration  will  make  this  plain.  The  lot  on  which  the 
house  was  situated  was  valued  at  $400.  The  house,  with 
walks,  well,  cistern,  and  outbuildings,  cost  $900.  Here  is  a 
total  investment  of  $1,300.  The  purchaser  paid  $300  in  cash. 
There    remained  $1,000  unpaid.     The   interest   on    $1,000    for 

a  year  at  six  per  cent  is  $60*  but  as  the  volume  of  interest  is 

291 


292  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

reduced  as  the  payments  are  made,  the  actual  interest  for 
the  full  period  averages  about  one-half  of  $60,  or  $30,  per 
year.  To  make  this  point  clear,  I  will  state  it  in  another 
way.  The  principal  is  being  reduced  as  the  monthly  payments 
are  made.  As  the  payments  advance,  the  amount  of  interest 
necessarily  decreases,  as  there  is  not  so  much  principal  on 
which  to  pay  interest.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  one  pays  six  per 
cent  interest  on  just  one-half  of  $1,000  for  the  full  period,  or, 
what  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  the  average  interest  on  the 
full  period  is  three  per  cent.  Thus,  one  is  paying  an  average 
interest  of  $30  per  year ;  and,  as  he  pays  $15  a  month,  this 
would  be  $180  a  year  for  principal  and  interest,  $150  of  which 
would  apply  to  the  principal.  Thus  it  is  that  in  six  years  and 
eight  months  the  one  paying  $15  a  month  will  own  the  house 
and  lot.  I  know  of  other  cases  where  less  each  month  is  paid 
and  a  longer  time  is  taken.  It  would  take  $io.831  Per  month 
to  pay  for  a  house  of  this  kind  in  ten  years,  with  a  cash  payment 
of  $300. 

It  may  be  said  that  nobody  but  a  philanthropist  would  sell 
property  in  this  way.  In  the  case  of  which  I  speak,  the  philan- 
thropist is  the  manager  of  the  property  of  a  life-insurance  com- 
pany which  owns  quite  a  large  amount  of  unimproved  real 
estate  in  a  Western  city,  and  had  a  surplus  capital  on  which  it 
desired  to  realize.  It  is  a  good  thing  for  the  company.  By 
this  means  it  is  enabled  to  dispose  of  its  real  estate,  and 
to  use  its  money  profitably. 

This  is  not  strictly  architectural,  but  it  may  result  in  showing 
some  one  how  to  get  a  home,  or  others  how  to  make  use  of  idle 
capital  in  a  safe  and  profitable  way.  It  is  better  for  one  who  has 
money  to  invest  to  sell  houses  in  this  way  than  it  is  to  rent  them. 
He  gets  profit  on  the  sale,  and  interest  on  his  money,  which 


HOW  TO   SECURE  A   HOME.  293 

latter  is  all  he  expects  under  other  circumstances,  and  disposes 
of  the  houses  before  they  need  repairs.  This  is  the  view  which 
the  capitalist  takes  of  the  situation.  By  looking  into  it  a  little 
further,  he  may  see  that  he  will  not  be  troubled  by  insurance,  a 
vacant  house,  or  repairs.  The  cash  payment  is  sufficient  to 
protect  the  expense  of  foreclosing  the  mortgage  and  the  rental 
of  the  house  during  the  time  of  the  redemption.  In  some  in- 
stances the  property  is  leased  on  the  payment  of  a  small  cash 
bonus,  with  the  stipulation  that  when  one-third,  one-fourth,  or 
other  agreed  portion  of  selling  price  is  paid  in,  that  a  deed  will 
be  given  ;  further  payment  being  secured  by  mortgage. 

Buildinof  associations  are  not  common  in  all  sections  of  the 
country.  Those  who  are  ambitious  to  build,  and  are  not  pro- 
vided with  facilities  which  a  building  association  offers,  may  ask 
what  to  do.  The  answer  is  short :  form  an  association.  This 
can  be  done  in  a  small  community.  Two  hundred  shares  paid 
in,  say,  by  fifty  people,  would  represent  a  hundred  dollars  a 
week.  Any  one  who  wishes  to  do  this  can  provide  himself  with 
text-books  and  other  information  on  the  subject,  which  are  now 
published  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Any  bookseller  with 
a  good  catalogue  can  give  the  necessary  information. 

It  is  sometimes  assumed  by  those  unfamiliar  with  building- 
association  methods,  that  they  only  provide  means  for  building 
small,  low-cost  houses.  This  is  an  error.  It  is  not  at  all  unusual 
that  complete  houses,  costing  from  three  to  five  thousand 
dollars,  are  built  by  men  of  large  means,  who  secure  their 
money  from  a  building  association.  One  has,  say,  forty  or  fifty 
thousand  dollars  profitably  occupied  in  a  regular  business  ;  he 
may  not  care  to  disturb  this  money  except  to  buy  a  lot  with  which 
to  establish  a  basis  of  credit  with  the  building  association.  The 
price  of  the  lot  may  vary  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  the  total 


294  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

investment.  One  wishes  to  borrow  three  thousand  dollars 
from  an  association  on  the  plan  which  is  subsequently  fully 
described.  He  would  have  to  take  out  fifteen  shares  on  a  pay- 
ment of  fifty  cents  a  share  a  week.  This  would  represent  seven 
dollars  and  a  half  weekly,  or  about  thirty  dollars  a  month.  On 
the  plan  where  the  interest  and  premium  are  charged  in  addi- 
tion to  the  regular  weekly  dues,  a  little  over  fifty  dollars  a  month 
would  be  required  to  keep  up  the  building-association  charges. 
This  would  be  less  than  house  rent.  These  calculations  are 
made  assuming  that  the  premium  is  not  more  than  ten  cents 
and  the  interest  six  per  cent. 


CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

BUILDING    ASSOCIATIONS. WHY  DIVIDENDS    ARE    LARGE    AND    INTER- 
EST     LOW.  BUILDING      ASSOCIATIONS      AND      SAVINGS      BANKS.  

ASSOCIATION      SECURITIES. BUILDING-ASSOCIATION      METHODS.  

DIFFERENT    PLANS.  BORROWING    FROM  A  BUILDING    ASSOCIATION. 

A    BUILDING-ASSOCIATION    REPORT. 

BUILDING-ASSOCIATION  methods  become  more  popular 
as  they  are  better  understood.  Savings  banks  are  unneces- 
sary in  communities  where  building  associations  are  common. 
^The  savings  bank  will  give  place  to  the  building  association,  for 
the  reason  that  the  latter  affords  greater  security  and  more  profit 
to  the  depositors  at  the  same  time  that  it  affords  greater  con- 
veniences to  the  borrowers.  It  is  often  asked  by  those  not  fully 
acquainted  with  building-association  methods,  "  How  is  it  that 
the  association  pays  such  large  dividends,  and  the  borrower  such 
a  small  rate  of  interest  ?  The  profit  is  made  by  the  loaning 
of  money ;  and,  consequently,  the  borrower  must  pay  a  high 
price  for  his  money,  or  the  association  does  not  make  large 
dividends." 

This  appears  to  be  a  logical  argument.  However,  it  is  not 
true  that  the  borrower  pays  a  high  price  for  his  money.  The 
dividends  declared  are  made  from  the  borrowers,  by  the  rapid 
compounding  of  interest  and  other  sources  of  profit.  Money 
paid  in  as  interest  is  immediately  re-invested  as  a  loan,  and 
thus  pays  interest  the  next  week.  The  interest  on  this  is  at 
once  put  to  use,  and  so  on.     It  is  compounded.     The  premium 

paid  for  money  is  another  source  of  profit.     This  comes  from 

295 


296  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

the  borrower,  and  represents  a  part  of  the  cost  of  the  money 
to  him ;  but,  unless  the  premium  is  excessive,  the  earnings 
on  his  stock  counterbalance  the  amount  paid  as  premium,  so 
that  in  the  end  a  borrower  does  not  pay  in  excess  of  the  regular 
rate  for  his  money  at  the  same  time  that  the  stockholder  is 
more  largely  benefited. 

A  building  association  has  only  a  tithe  of  the  expenses  of  a 
bank.  The  cost  of  doing  business  is  very  small.  An  association 
has  a  very  great  advantage  over  a  bank  in  its  earning  capacity 
in  that  it  does  not  have  to  carry  a  surplus.  All  of  its  money  is 
invested  at  all  times.  Frequently  it  is  receiving  interest  upon 
money  that  is  not  a  part  of  its  assets.  This  happens  when  an 
application  for  a  loan  has  been  accepted,  a  building  is  under 
way,  and  the  money  not  all  paid  out. 

The  percentage  of  loss  in  a  building  association  is  necessarily 
smaller  than  in  the  best-conducted  bank.  Its  securities  are  all 
first  mortgages  on  productive  real  estate,  and  loans  are  made 
to  members  only,  and  under  the  condition  that  the  immediate 
repayment  of  the  loan  be  commenced.  The  security  begins  to 
improve  at  once,  by  the  repayment  of  a  part  of  the  principal 
each  week.  It  is  usual  for  each  member  of  a  family  to 
become  interested  in  the  immediate  repayment  of  a  loan. 
The  payment  of  building-association  dues  is  constantly  in  mind ; 
as  they  become  due  from  week  to  week,  they  cannot  be  over- 
looked. The  fact  that  the  debt  is  growing  less,  and,  as  well, 
the  incentive  to  avoid  small  fines  in  case  of  failure  to  make  pay- 
ment, contribute  to  the  value  of  the  security.  A  loan  on  an 
ordinary  basis,  secured  from  a  savings  bank,  insurance  or  trust 
company  for  a  long  period,  is  not  thought  of  in  this  way.  The 
usual  thought  in  such  a  case  is  to  pay  the  debt  in  a  large  sum 
at  a  time   in   the   future.      The   time  of  the   repayment  of  an 


HOW  TO   SECURE   A   HOME.  297 

association  loan  is  always  present.  The  security  afforded  to 
building  associations  is  much  better  than  to  savings  banks  and 
loan  companies,  even  where  the  margin  above  the  amount  of 
loan  is  less  because  of  this  difference  in  plan  of  repayment. 
Again,  the  margin  of  security  from  the  first  is  always  sufficient 
to  protect  a  mortgage  and  the  payment  of  all  foreclosure  costs 
and  charges.  Furthermore,  the  rentals  in  case  of  foreclosure 
are,  or  should  be,  sufficient  to  pay  all  dues  and  other  fixed 
charges.  This  will  prevent  loss,  and  in  the  end  pay  for  the 
property. 

Another  element  of  safety  in  building  associations  is  the  small 
risk  of  loss  from  the  duplicity  of  the  officers.  This  risk  is  un- 
usually light,  for  the  reason  that  in  a  well-managed  building 
association  there  is  little  in  sight  to  lose.  The  money  is  usually 
all  invested.  Any  small  amount  in  the  hands  of  the  officers  is 
there  for  only  a  short  time.  There  are  demands  in  all  well- 
managed  building  associations  for  all  the  money  in  hand.  While 
this  is  true,  it  is  always  required  that  the  officers  who  handle  the 
association  money  give  bond  for  a  much  larger  sum  than  it  is 
possible  for  them  ever  to  have  in  charge.  This  makes  the  loss, 
if  any,  readily  collectible. 

It  may  be  well  to  illustrate  building-association  methods, 
and  thus  call  attention  intelligently  to  the  points  of  superiority 
which  one  plan  may  have  over  another. 

The  idea  which  first  gave  rise  to  associations  is  that  of 
enabling  persons  belonging  to  a  class  whose  earnings  are  small, 
to  place  themselves  in  a  position  where  the  process  of  gradual 
accumulation  is,  in  a  certain  sense,  compulsory.  The  method  of 
operation  is  simple  enough  when  it  is  understood.  Say  that 
a  number  of  stockholders  agree  to  form  an  association  with  a 
thousand  shares,  each  share  to  represent  $200.      This  would 


298  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

make  a  full  capital  stock  of  $200,000  when  all  paid  in.  The 
various  individuals  forming  the  association  subscribe  for  as 
many  shares  as  they  feel  competent  to  pay  upon,  it  being  agreed 
that  for  each  share  of  stock  subscribed,  fifty  cents  per  week  shall 
be  paid  until  the  sum-total  of  the  payments  shall  aggregate 
$200 ;  at  the  end  of  which  time  a  division  shall  be  made  accord- 
ing to  the  original  subscription  and  subsequent  payment.  It  is 
clear  that  if  all  are  prompt  in  their  payments,  the  treasury  will 
be  ready  for  distribution  at  the  end  of  four  hundred  weeks. 
The  period  of  four  hundred  weeks  will,  however,  be  shortened 
if  all  the  money  paid  in  is  at  once  invested  at  interest  upon  safe 
securities,  with  the  addition  of  interests  compounded  weekly,  as 
is  the  case  with  these  associations.  For  instance,  it  may  appear 
that  at  the  end  of  three  hundred  and  twelve  weeks,  with  a  pay- 
ment of  fifty  cents  a  week,  and  the  accrued  earnings  that  are 
credited  to  the  shares,  they  are  worth  $200,  the  amount  fixed  for 
the  value  of  the  stock  when  it  is  paid  up.  At  such  a  time  the 
depositing  members  withdraw  their  funds,  and  those  who  are 
borrowers  pay  off  their  obligations  to  the  association  with  stock, 
and  the  mortgages  are  released. 

Money  in  building  associations  is  generally  sold  to  the  high- 
est bidder ;  that  is,  those  who  want  to  borrow  bid  a  premium  for 
the  money.  For  instance,  a  sale  of  money  is  advertised.  Bids 
are  then  received  on  the  money  to  be  loaned,  and  it  is  given 
to  the  highest  bidder  after  the  security  has  been  approved. 
Suppose  one  wishes  to  borrow  a  thousand  dollars.  If  each  paid- 
up  share  is  to  represent  two  hundred  dollars,  five  shares  must 
be  taken  out  to  represent  the  payment  of  principal  on  a  thou- 
sand-dollar loam  It  may  appear  that  the  premium  bid  was  ten 
cents  on  each  share.  This  means  that  the  borrower  must  pay 
ten  cents  premium  each  week,  on  each  share,  during  the  course 


HOW  TO   SECURE   A   HOME.  299 

of  the  loan,  or  until  the  principal  is  paid  out.  Thus  he  would 
pay  fifty  cents  a  week  as  principal,  and  ten  cents  a  week  as 
premium,  and  the  interest  on  two  hundred  dollars  at  six  per 
cent,  which  would  be  twenty-four  cents  a  week.  Thus  he 
would  pay  eighty-four  cents  a  week  on  each  share ;  or  on  five 
shares,  four  dollars  and  twenty  cents  a  week.  This  would  pay 
out  in  about  five  years,  depending  upon  the  average  rate  of 
premium,  the  cost  of  doing  business,  and  other  conditions  which 
may  be  readily  understood.  When  the  principal  paid  in,  together 
with  the  accrued  earnings,  represents  two  hundred  dollars,  the 
obligation  to  the  building  association  is  released. 

There  are  various  plans  of  starting  and  arranging  building 
and  savings  associations,  which  differ  one  from  another  only  in 
matters  of  detail.  The  price  of  the  share  may  be  two,  three,  or 
four  hundred  dollars,  or  any  other  sum.  The  amounts  paid 
in  a  week  van-  from  ten  cents  to  any  larger  sum.  In  the  past, 
most  associations  have  been  started  on  the  series  plan,  which  is 
defined  as  follows  by  Henry  S.  Rosenthal  of  Cincinnati  in  his 
"  Manual  for  Building-  Associations  :  "  — 

"In  an  association,  organized  on  the  terminating  plan,  all  the  stock  is 
issued  as  of  one  date.  A  terminating  association  is  organized  on  the  pre- 
sumption that  all  the  stock  will  be  subscribed  for  at  the  open  meetings.  This, 
however,  is  seldom  done.  The  consequence  is,  that  shares  sold  after  the  first 
meetings  must  be  sold  at  such  prices  as  to  make  them  equal  in  value  to  those 
already  issued.  To  do  this  a  sum  must  be  charged  equal  to  the  amount  already 
paid  in  in  instalments  by  the  subscribers  to  the  original  shares.  If  the  regu- 
lar dues  on  shares  should  be  one  dollar  per  week,  a  person  subscribing  for  a 
share  after  the  association  has  been  running  ten  weeks  must  pay  ten  dollars 
for  the  share.  In  like  manner,  if  the  association  has  been  running  for  a 
longer  period,  he  must  pay  an  additional  dollar  for  each  additional  week. 
Moreover,  if  he  does  not  subscribe  until  after  the  profits  have  been  declared, 
he  must  pay  such  an  additional  amount  on  his  share  as  will  correspond  to  the 


300  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

earnings  of  the  original  shares  up  to  that  time.  The  same  rule  holds  through 
the  entire  existence  of  the  association,  each  year  making  it  more  difficult  to 
enter.  After  an  association,  organized  on  this  plan,  has  run  for  a  time,  it  is 
impossible  for  many  persons,  who  would  gladly  become  members,  to  raise  a 
sufficient  sum  of  money  to  pay  up  the  back  instalments,  the  initiation  fees,  the 
accrued  profits,  and  other  incidental  expenses.  In  its  practical  workings, 
therefore,  an  association  organized  on  this  plan  is  not  well  adapted  to  meet 
the  conditions  of  that  particular  class  of  persons  who  most  need  such  an  organ- 
ization,  and  are  most  likely  to  be  benefited  by  it. 

"In  a  terminating  association  all  the  shares  are,  of  course,  at  all  times  of 
equal  value.  Whenever  the  total  amounts  of  the  dues  paid  in  and  of  accumu- 
lated profits  equal  the  par  value  of  all  the  shares,  the  association  terminates 
and  its  affairs  must  be  wound  up.  Each  stockholder  who  has  not  borrowed  his 
money  in  advance  receives  the  full  value  of  his  shares.  To  those  who  have 
secured  their  money  in  advance,  their  mortgages,  cancelled  and  receipted  in 
full,  are  returned. 

'•PERMANENT    ASSOCIATION. 

"  Building  associations  were  established  originally  on  the  terminating 
plan.  It  is  obvious  that  working  on  this  plan  they  cannot,  in  some  respects, 
reach  their  greatest  degree  of  popularity  and  usefulness.  On  this  account 
there  has  been  a  gradual  departure  from  this  plan.  The  first  departure  from 
the  terminating  plan  consisted  in  an  arrangement  for  issuing  the  stock  in 
series  instead  of  all  from  the  same  date.  Associations  were  chartered  for  a 
certain  number  of  years,  as  before,  and  with  a  specified  amount  of  capital 
stock.  But  instead  of  selling  all  the  stock  as  of  the  same  date,  it  was  divided 
into  series ;  one  series  being  sold  as  of  the  date  of  the  beginning  of  the  first 
year,  the  second  series  as  of  the  date  of  the  beginning  of  the  second  year,  and 
so  on  until  all  the  shares  were  sold.  The  issuing  of  a  new  series  does  not 
necessarily  occur  annually,  but  at  such  periods  as  are  made  necessary  or 
desirable  by  the  business  of  the  association.  The  serial  issue  may  be  monthly, 
quarterly,  semi-annually,  or  otherwise,  as  the  directors  may  determine.  By 
the  time  the  last  series  is  issued  and  the  stock  is  exhausted,  the  first  one  or 
two  or  more  series  of  shares,  if  the  business  of  the  association  has  been  pros- 
perous, have  usually  reached  their  full  value,  and  are  paid  back  and  cancelled. 
Associations  conducted  on  this  plan  usually  have  the  right  to  issue  new  stock 


HO  IV  TO   SECURE  A   HOME.  301 

to  take  the  place  of  that  which  is  cancelled  from  time  to  time,  and  thus  their 
perpetuity  is  insured.  A  successful  association  working  on  this  plan  can 
usually  secure  the  issue  of  a  new  charter,  and  can  thus  continue  its  existence. 
But  there  are  manifest  disadvantages  and  risks  under  which  an  association 
operating  on  this  plan  must  labor. 

"  Another  plan  of  operation  has  been  inaugurated  which  has  proved  very 
popular,  and  which  is  being  generally  adopted  by  the  associations  in  the 
different  States.  Associations  are  granted  perpetual  charters,  the  amount  of- 
the  capital  stock  being  fixed  at  a  certain  sum.  They  are  allowed  to  be°-in 
operations  as  soon  as  a  certain  amount  of  stock  is  subscribed.  After  the  asso- 
ciation is  in  operation,  new  subscribers  are  allowed  to  enter  at  any  time  on 
an  equality  with  the  original  subscribers,  the  stock  of  each  member  dating 
from  the  time  of  his  entry.  Thus  the  business  of  the  association  runs  along 
from  year  to  year,  until  finally  all  of  the  stock  is  subscribed.  After  a  time  the 
shares  first  issued  begin  to  reach  their  full  value.  As  they  thus  mature,  the 
owners  draw  out  their  money,  —  if  they  have  not  borrowed  it  in  advance,  — 
and  their  shares  are  cancelled,  and  their  membership  ceases.  If  they  have 
borrowed  their  money  in  advance,  their  bonds  and  mortgages  are  returned  to 
them  receipted  in  full.  If  a  member,  whose  stock  has  thus  matured,  has  not 
borrowed  his  money  in  advance,  and  does  not  wish  to  draw  it  out,  a  certificate 
of  paid-up  stock  is  issued  to  him,  and  he  leaves  his  money  in  the  association 
as  a  matter  of  investment.  An  association  operating  on  this  plan  may,  after 
a  time,  when  its  original  stock  has  all  been  subscribed  through  application  to 
the  incorporating  authorities,  secure  the  right  to  increase  its  stock.  If,  in  the 
course  of  time,  this  increased  stock  becomes  exhausted,  another  increase  may 
be  secured  in  a  like  manner,  and  so  on  indefinitely." 

Herewith  is  given  an  extract  from  the  yearly  report  of  a 
successful  savings  and  loan  association  on  the  perpetual  plan. 
It  will  illustrate  more  fully  the  method  and  results  of  this  method 
than  could  a  less  formal  description.  It  may  be  explained  in 
this  connection  that  in  this  society  the  payments  are  uniform  for 
depositing  and  borrowing  members  ;  that  is,  instead  of  having 
the  premium  and  interest  added  to  the  weekly  dues,  the  amount 
of  premium  and  interest  is  charged  against  the  weekly  payment 


302  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

of  fifty  cents.  Ten  cents  is  the  limit  of  premium,  the  officers 
and  stockholders  believing  that  to  be  as  much  as  any  one  should 
pay. 

OBJECT. 

The  Plymouth  Savings  and  Loan  Association,  No.  2,  is  organized 
with  two  main  objects  in  view  :  — 

First.  —  To  furnish  a  convenient,  safe,  and  profitable  method  of  investing 
the  savings  of  working  people. 

Members  can  come  in  and  go  out  at  will. 

Subscriptions  can  commence  at  any  time  without  having  to  pay  back  dues 
or  wait  for  new  series. 

Withdrawing  members  obtain  their  money  without  loss  (fines  excepted), 
and  are  paid  as  promptly  as  the  finances  of  the  Association  will  admit,  with- 
out having  to  wait  ninety  days.  In  the  history  of  the  Association  there  have 
been  no  delays. 

Second. — To  furnish  persons  who  wish  to  borrow  for  any  purpose  the 
means  for  doing  so  at  a  reasonable  rate  of  interest.  In  other  words,  it  is  an 
association  composed  of  borrowers  and  lenders,  and  established  for  their 
mutual  convenience.  It  gathers  together  the  savings  of  the  people,  which, 
scattered  and  in  small  sums,  could  not  be  invested  to  advantage,  and  loans 
the  money  thus  obtained  on  first  mortgage  security,  and  in  sums  to  suit,  to 
those  who  wish  to  build,  to  pay  off  mortgages,  or  for  other  purposes. 

All  members  of  the  Association  are,  therefore,  divided  into  two  classes :  — 

First.  —  Those  who  desire  to  use  the  society  as  a  means  of  saving  or 
investing  money.     These  are  called  depositing  members. 

Second.  —  Those  who  wish  to  make  use  of  the  organization  as  a  means  of 
borrowing  money.     These  are  called  borrowing  members. 

MANAGEMENT. 

The  Plymouth  Savings  and  Loan  Association  is  a  strictly  co-opera- 
tive or  mutual  organization.  All  the  shareholders  are  pro  rata  owners  of  all 
the  assets  of  the  society.  Every  member  is  a  partner  in  the  enterprise  in  pro- 
portion to  the  amount  paid  in  by  him.  He  is  entitled  to  his  share  of  all  the 
earnings  of  the  Association,  and  he  must  also  stand  his  share  of  the  losses,  if 
there  be  any. 


HO  IV  TO   SECURE  A   HOME.  ^O 


The  "By-laws  contain  the  rules  and  regulations  under  which  money  is 
received  and  loaned,  or  otherwise  disposed  of.  and  the  business  of  the  society 
is  carried  on  by  a  Board  of  Directors,  elected  annually  by  the  members. 

SHARES    AND    SHAREHOLDERS. 

The  amount  of  interest  which  each  member  has  in  the  Association  is 
indicated  by  the  number  of  his  shares. 

Shares  are  S200  each,  and  no  member  can  hold  more  than  twenty-five 
shares.     The  weekly  payment  required  is  fifty  cents  on  each  share  of  stock. 

When  a  member  joins  the  Association  he  indicates  the  amount  of  weekly 
payment  he  desires  to  make  by  the  number  of  shares  for  which  he  subscribes. 
He  may,  however,  if  he  wishes,  pay  more  than  his  shares  call  for,  and  such 
over-payments  will  receive  dividends  the  same  as  the  regular  weekly  instal- 
ments. 

Each  member  is  supposed  to  keep  up  his  payments  until  what  he  has  paid 

in,  together  with  the  dividends  declared  thereon,  shall  amount  to  the  face 

•value  of  his  shares,  at  which  time  he  must  cease  payments,  and  either  take 

his  money  out,   or,  if  the   society  be   willing,   allow  it  to  remain  and  draw 

dividends. 

DIVIDENDS. 

On  the  1st  of  January  and  July  of  each  year  the  net  earnings  of  the  Asso- 
ciation are  divided //-#  rata  among  all  the  members,  and  the  amount  due  each 
member  is  credited  on  his  pass-book. 

Persons  joining  the  association  between  January  and  July  must  continue 
payments  until  the  following  January  before  the  dividend  will  be  credited,  and 
those  joining  between  July  and  January  must  likewise  pay  until  the  following 
July ;  and  if  the  money  be  withdrawn  before  that  time,  the  dividend  will  be 
forfeited. 

The  right  to  dividend  also  ceases  from  the  date  of  the  notice  to  withdraw 
the  stock. 

When  dividends  are  credited  on  the  pass-books  they  are  just  like  money 
paid,  and  are  themselves  entitled  to  draw  dividends  the  same  as  cash  pay- 
ments.    Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  all  dividends  compound  semi-annually. 

The  following  table  will  show  how  long  it  takes  to  pay  up  a  share  to  face 
value  by  paying  the  regular  dues  only,  supposing  the  society  to  earn  six  per 


304  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

cent  dividends  per  annum.1      It  also  shows  the  value  of  each  share  at  the 
close  of  each  year  :  — 


First  year Dues     .     . 

"  Dividends 


Value  at  close  of  first  year 


Second  year Dues     .     . 

"  Dividends 


Value  at  close  of  second  year 


Third  year Dues     .     . 

"  Dividends 


Value  at  close  of  third  year 


Fourth  year Dues $26  00 

"  Dividends      .... 


Value  at  close  of  fourth  year 


Fifth  year Dues     .     . 

"  Dividends 


Value  at  close  of  fifth  year 


Sixth  year Dues     .     . 

"  Dividends 


$26  00 

73 

$26  78 

$26  78 

$26  00 

2  41 

28  41 

*55  '9 

$26  OO 

4  53 

3o  53 

$85  72 

$26  00 

6  10 

32  10 

$117  82 

$26  00 

8  34 

34  34 

$152  16 

$26  00 

10  41 

36  41 

Value  at  close  of  sixth  year $188  60 

Seventh  year  (16  weeks)     .     Dues $8  00 

"  .     Dividends 3  40       1 1  40 


$200  00 


Time,  6  years  and  16  weeks. 

Total  dues  paid $164  00 

Total  dividends 36  00 


METHOD    OF    LOANING    MONEY. 

The  society  loans  money  only  to  members.  For  each  $200  share  held  by 
a  member  he  may  borrow  $200,  secured  by  first  mortgage  on  real  estate, 
interest  on  which  is  twenty-four  cents  per  week. 

The  right  to  precedence  in  borrowing  is  sold  at  auction  at  stated  times 
at  the  office  of  the  Association  (notice  of  which  is  given  beforehand)  to  the 
member  who  bids  or  agrees  to  pay  the  highest  weekly  premium  in  addition  to 

1  The  present  rate  of  dividend  is  nine  per  cent,  with  an  added  surplus. 


HOW   TO   SECURE  A   HOME.  305 

the  twenty-four  cents  per  week  interest.     Ten  cents  per  week  is  the  average 
rate  at  which  money  was  sold  during  the  year  1S87,  and  is  now  selling. 

Members  not  desiring  or  not  able  to  attend  the  sale  of  money  in  person 
may  have  some  one  else  bid  for  them,  or  they  may  leave  a  written  bid  with 
the  Secretary,  on  blanks  prepared  for  that  purpose,  who  will  make  it  for  them 
at  the  sale. 

The  society  also  loans  to  depositing  members  in  sums  equal  to  ninety 
per  cent  of  the  dues  paid  in.  Security  is  had  by  the  member  pledging  his 
stock  for  the  payment  of  the  loan  and  interest  due  (if  any)  on  notes  prepared 
for  that  purpose.  Interest  on  such  loans  has  for  the  present  been  placed  at 
the  rate  of  eight  per  cent  per  annum. 

PAYMENTS. 

The  depositing  and  borrowing  members  alike  pay  fifty  cents  per  week  per 
share.  There  are  no  additions  for  expenses,  interest,  premiums,  or  fines. 
These  are  charged  up  at  the  close  of  each  dividend  period,  or  at  the  closing 
up  of  an  account. 

Each  borrower  is  required  to  pay  at  least  fifty  cents  per  week  on  each 
5200  of  loan  made  to  him,  which  is  credited  as  follows: 

First  the  premium  and  interest  are  taken  out,  the  interest  being  twenty- 
four  cents.  When  the  premium  bid  is  ten  cents,  both  together  would  amount 
to  thirty-four  cents.  Then  the  balance,  which  in  this  case  would  be  sixteen 
cents,  is  credited  as  a  payment  on  the  share  on  which  the  loan  is  taken. 
These  payments  are  continued  until  the  amount  credited  on  the  shares,  to- 
gether with  the  dividends  thereon,  will  equal  the  amount  loaned.  For  instance, 
suppose  the  loan  to  be  S200,  and  the  premium  bid  to  be  ten  cents  per  week, 

The  payment  each  week  would  be 50  cents 

The  premium  each  week  would  be 10  cents 

The  interest  each  week  would  be 24  cents 

34  cents 

The  credit  on  the  share  each  week  would  be    .     .     .     .  *  .     16  cents 

These  credits  of  sixteen  cents  per  week  begin  to  draw  dividends  on  the 
succeeding  dividend  period,  which  are  compounded  semi-annually,  and  the 
weekly  payments'  must  be  continued  until  the  weekly  credits  of  sixteen  cents 
and  the  dividends  thereon  amount  to  $200. 

Members  are  at  liberty  to  pay  every  two  weeks  or  monthly,  and  as  much 


o 


06  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


beyond  the  required  weekly  payment  as  they  may  desire  to.  The  over- 
payments are  credited  like  any  regular  payment  and  share  in  the  dividends. 

This  enables  borrowers  to  pay  their  loans  off  as  fast  as  their  circum- 
stances will  admit.  This  method  is  very  helpful,  as  the  interest  and  premium 
will  be  stopped  on  as  many  full  shares  as  are  paid  off,  and  the  cost  of  a  loan 
is  materially  reduced  thereby. 

The  minimum  payment  only  is  fixed.  The  borrower  may  at  any  time  pay 
the  whole  balance  due  on  the  loan  and  have  it  cancelled  at  once. 

It  is  always  good  policy  for  a  borrower  to  pay  more  than  the  weekly  dues 
if  he  can,  in  order  that  in  case  of  sickness,  loss  of  work,  or  other  unforeseen 
hindrance,  he  may  be  paid  ahead,  and  hence  suspend  payment  for  a  time 
without  being  fined  or  in  danger  of  losing  his  property. 

By  the  following  table  it  is  shown  that  with  the  premium  at  twenty-four 
cents  on  each  $200,  and  that  the  society  is  able  to  earn  six  per  cent  per 
annum  dividends  (both  of  which  are  being  done  now 1 ),  and  the  required 
weekly  dues  only  being  paid,  a  loan  will  be  paid  up  in  fifteen  years  and  six 
months.  This  time,  as  already  mentioned,  can  be  shortened  at  the  will  and 
ability  of  the  borrower,  and  may  be  paid  off  at  any  time  without  any  penalty 
whatever.  This  is  a  great  advantage,  and  the  society  can  do  this  only  because 
of  the  great  demand  for  loans,  and  the  money  does  not  have  to  lie  idle  if  a 
loan  is  paid  off,  but  is  immediately  loaned  again.  Here  is  a  loan  which  you 
may  take  fifteen  years  to  pay  if  you  wish,  or  you  may  pay  it  off  at  any  time. 

TABLE. 

SHOWING   COURSE  OF  LOAN  OF  $1,000. 
Premium  50  cents  per  week. 
Interest  $1.20  per  week. 
Six  per  cent  dividends  compounded  semi-annually. 

First  Year  : 

Loan $1,000  00 

Payments  for  year $130  00 

Interest  and  premium $88  40 

Less  dividends 62 

Net  cost  of  loan 87  78 

Principal  reduced 42  22 

1  Since  this  report  was  made  the   earnings  have  been  nine   per  cent,  with  an  added 
surplus. 


HOW  TO   SECURE  A   HOME.  307 

Second  Year : 

Balance  due  at  end  of  first  year $957  78 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Premium  and  interest SS  40 

Less  dividends 3  iS 

Net  cost  of  loan 85  22 


Principal  reduced 44  78 

Third  Year  :  

Balance  due  at  end  of  second  year      ....  5913  00 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 83  40 

Less  dividends 5  91 

Net  cost  of  loan S2  49 

Principal  reduced 

Fourth  Year : 

Balance  due  at  end  of  third  year 

Payments  for  year 

Interest  and  premium 83  40 

Less  dividends S  79 

Net  cost  of  loan 79  61 


00 

47 

5i 

130 

SS65 

49 

Principal  reduced 5°  39 

Fifth  Year  :  

Balance  due  at  end  of  fourth  year S3 15   10 

Payments  for  yt-ar 130  00 

Interest  and  premium SS  40 

Less  dividends 11   SS 

Net  cost  of  loan 76  52 


Principal  reduced 53  4§ 

Sixth  Year:  

Balance  due  at  end  of  fifth  year S~6i  62 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium S8  40 

Less  dividends 15   12 

Net  cost  of  loan 73  28 


Principal  reduced 5&  72 


308  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

Seventh  Year : 

Balance  due  at  end  of  sixth  year $704  90 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 88  40 

Less  dividends 18  60 

Net  cost  of  loan 69  80 

Principal  reduced 60  20 

Eighth  Year :  

Balance  due  at  end  of  seventh  year     ....  $64470 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 88  40 

Less  dividends 22  26 

Net  cost  of  loan 66  14 

Principal  reduced 63  86* 

Ninth  Year :  •  

Balance  due  at  end  of  eighth  year £580  84 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 88  40 

Less  dividends 26   13 

Net  cost  of  loan 62  27 

Principal  reduced 67  73 

Tenth  Year  :  

Balance  due  at  end  of  ninth  year $513  1 1 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 88  40 

Less  dividends 3"  27 

Net  cost  of  loan 58  13 

Principal  reduced 71  87 

Eleventh  Year  :  

Balance  due  at  end  of  tenth  year $441  24 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 88  40 

Less  dividends 34  65 

Net  cost  of  loan 53  75 

Principal  reduced 76  25 

Twelfth  Year  :  

Balance  due  at  end  of  eleventh  year   ....  $364  99 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 88  40 

Less  dividends 39  30 

Net  cost  of  loan 49  10 

Principal  reduced 80  90 


HOW  TO   SECURE  A   HOME.  309 

Thirteenth  Year  : 

Balance  due  at  end  of  twelfth  year $284  09 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 88  40 

Less  dividends 44  22 

Net  cost  of  loan 44  18 

Principal  reduced 85  82 

Fourteenth  Year:  . 

Balance  due  at  end  of  thirteenth  year      .     .     .  $198  27 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 88  40 

Less  dividends 49  41 

Net  cost  of  loan 38  99 

Principal  reduced 91  01 

Fifteenth  Year  :  

Balance  due  at  end  of  fourteenth  year     .     .     .  £107  26 

Payments  for  year 130  00 

Interest  and  premium 88  40 

Less  dividends 54  99 

Net  cost  of  loan 33  41 

Principal  reduced 96  59 

Six  Weeks  :  

Balance  due  at  end  of  fifteenth  year    ....  §10  67 

Payments  for  six  weeks 15  00 

Interest  and  premium 10  20 

Less  dividends 5  87 

Net  cost  of  loan 4  33 

Principal  reduced 10  67 

Time,  fifteen  years  and  six  weeks. 

Total  amount  of  payments $1,965  00 

Total  interest  and  premium 1.336  20 

Total  dividends 371  20 

Net  cost  of  loan 965  00 

With  the  reasonable  prospect  in  view  that  the  Association  will  be  able  to 
pay  larger  dividends  at  some  future  time,  it  will  be  easy  to  understand  that 
the  cost  and  the  time  of  payment  of  a  loan  will  thereby  be  correspondin<dv 
reduced. 


IO  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


MORTGAGES. 


All  loans  must  be  secured  by  first  mortgage  on  real  estate  in  Marion 
County,  Ind.  An  appraising  committee,  consisting  of  three  members  of  the 
Association,  appraise  the  value  of  all  real  estate  offered  as  security  for  loans 
and  report  to  the  board.  No  loan  can  be  made  until  the  security  has  been 
approved  by  the  Board  of  Directors. 

This  Association  is  now  paying  four  per  cent  semi-annual  dividends,  and 
adding  largely  to  its  surplus. 

A  new  feature  in  building-association  work  has  recently  been 
put  into  practice.  The  association  will  buy  for  cash  a  house 
and  lot,  or  buy  a  lot  and  build  a  house  thereon,  and  sell  at  a  fair 
price  to  the  member  whose  application  is  accepted.  Where  the 
house  and  lot  are  bought  at  a  cash  price,  it  is  usual  to  charge  a 
ten  per  cent  bonus  when  selling  it  on  time  to  a  member.  The 
purchaser  then  completes  the  transaction  by  securing  the  pur- 
chase money  to  the  association,  the  same  as  in  case  of  a  loan 
on  any  other  property,  except  that  instead  of  a  deed  from  the 
association  he  will  receive  a  lease,  with  an  agreement  to  sell  and 
convey  to  him  the  premises  as  soon  as  one-third  of  the  purchase 
money  shall  have  been  paid  in  regular  dues  on  his  stock. 
His  stock  will  be  assigned  as  collateral  security,  and  the 
payments  will  be  credited  as  rent  until  the  deed  is  made. 
Then  the  purchaser  will  execute  his  mortgage  for  the  unpaid 
balance  due  on  the  property  on  the  terms  of  his  original 
bid  for  the  money.  It  is  usual  to  require  a  cash  payment  equal 
to  the  amount  of  the  bonus  ;  that  is,  ten  per  cent  of  the  pur- 
chase price.  This  is  a  valuable  feature  in  building-associa- 
tion methods.  It  adds  to  the  profits  of  the  association.  This 
plan  is  adaptable  to  private  enterprise,  and  is  liberal  in  its 
terms  to  the  purchaser. 

In  most  associations  organized  on  the  perpetual  plan,  as  pre- 
viously described,  the  demand  for  funds  is  greater  than  can  be 


HOW  TO   SECURE  A   HOME.  311 

supplied  from  depositing  members.  This  has  given  rise  to  the 
"paid-up  stock"  feature  of  building  associations.  Under  this 
plan  one  may  invest  money  in  any  sum  according  to  the  terms 
of  the  charter  and  secure  from  the  association  a  certificate  of 
paid-up  stock  which  participates  in  the  regular  dividends  of  the 
company.  In  this  way,  funds  in  larger  amounts  may  be  secured 
than  come  from  the  ordinary  payments  by  regular  weekly  dues. 
It  is  not  unusual  for  individuals  to  purchase  paid-up  stock  to 
the  amount  of  several  thousand  dollars.  This  is  a  great  help 
to  an  association  which  is  short  of  funds,  as  it  serves  to  increase 
its  membership  by  addition  of  borrowers.  There  is  no  better 
place  to  invest  trust  funds  than  in  the  paid-up  stock  of  well- 
managed  building  associations.  Primarily,  for  the  reason  that 
each  stockholder  is  pledged  in  the  amount  of  his  stock  to  pay 
principal  and  six  per  cent  interest  on  all  withdrawals ;  hence,  the 
funds  may  be  withdrawn  at  any  time,  and  six  per  cent  interest 
thereon  demanded.  Furthermore,  building-association  stock  is 
not  taxable  in  most  States. 

Individual  and  moneyed  corporations  are  coming  to  consider 
the  matter  of  loans,  and  means  leading  to  their  repayment,  on 
the  building-association  plan.  This  will  be  brought  about  largely 
by  the  low  price  of  money  throughout  the  country  at  this  time. 
Savings  banks,  mortgage  companies,  and  life-insurance  organiza- 
tions are  finding  it  difficult  to  loan  their  funds  at  a  price  that  will 
pay  their  fixed  obligations  ;  hence,  they  are  seeking  means  which 
will  lead  to  a  more  profitable  investment  of  their  funds.  The 
building-association  plan  of  loaning  money  is  one  solution  of 
the  problem.  The  low  price  of  money  is  one  of  the  elements 
which  within  the  next  few  years  will  enable  nearly  ever}'  one 
who  so  desires  to  secure  a  home  through  the  building  association, 
or  some  plan  which  has  its  outgrowth  therefrom. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

PURCHASE    OF   A  LOT.  THE    BEST   THE    CHEAPEST. A  GOOD  LOT  AS 

A    BASIS    OF   SECURITY. THE    BASIS    OF   VALUE    IS   THE    RENTAL. 

THERE  are  many  things  to  consider  in  connection  with  the 
building  of  a  house  other  than  those  which  are  construc- 
tive. One  may  lay  aside  that  which  has  to  do  with  appearances, 
convenience,  stability,  and  all  that  is  architectural,  and  yet  have 
food  for  thought  in  connection  with  the  making  of  a  home.  For 
instance,  the  lot.  No  one  can  afford  to  build  on  one  that  is 
absolutely  cheap,  or  one  that  is  cheap  because  it  is  not  well 
located  or  favorably  thought  of  by  the  large  number  of  people. 
A  lot  that  is  absolutely  cheap  is  not  often  worth  even  what  is 
paid  for  it.  One  of  small  means  can  least  of  all  afford  to  put 
his  money  in  a  questionable  piece  of  property.  A  lot  may  be 
relatively  cheap,  and  be  a  good  investment.  For  instance,  there 
is  a  street  lined  with  comfortable  houses.  On  this  street  live 
people  of  more  or  less  wealth  and  unquestioned  ambition. 
Three  or  four  squares  beyond  the  last  house  of  this  street  the 
lots  may  be  relatively  cheap.  The  sum  asked  for  them  is  not 
great,  for  the  reason  that  few  care  to  go  out  so  far.  Still,  by 
adopting  a  little  of  the  pioneer  spirit,  one  can  make  a  pur- 
chase of  these  lots  and  be  reasonably  certain  of  being  rewarded 
for  his  foresight.  It  is  much  better  to  buy  such  a  lot,  and  live 
for  a  year  or  two  without  immediate  neighbors,  than  to  buy  one 
which  is  absolutely  cheap  because  the  surroundings  are  positively 
unfavorable. 

312 


HOW  TO   SECURE  A   HOME.  313 

A  man  of  small  means  least  of  all  can  afford  to  buy  a  lot 
that  cannot  readily  be  sold  for  all  it  cost.  We  often  hear  people 
say,  in  regard  to  lots  that  are  surrounded  unfavorably,  "  What  is 
the  difference  ?  It  suits  us  ;  we  can  be  as  happy  and  comfort- 
able there  as  any  place.  If  we  like  it,  why  should  any  one  else 
complain  ? "  No  one  else  will  complain.  It  may  occur  that  the 
owner  of  this  absolutely  cheap  property  may  wish  to  sell.  He 
may  become  embarrassed  in  his  business,  or  one  of  many  things 
may  happen  to  cripple  him  financially.  If  he  can  sell  at  all,  it 
is  at  a  sacrifice.  If  a  mortgage  is  foreclosed,  there  is  no  reason- 
able chance  of  redemption.  If  the  lot  is  well  located,  and  he 
becomes  financially  embarrassed,  he  can  sell  for  full  value 
and  thus  relieve  himself.  If  there  is  danger  of  foreclosure, 
a  sale  can  be  readily  effected,  and  thus  all  danger  of  loss 
be  averted.  The  idea  in  buying  a  lot  is  to  get  one  which  can 
be  readily  sold.     This  is  an  important  matter. 

In  carrying  out  this  principle,  one  of  moderate  means  will 
often  buy  a  lot  of  higher  cost  than  is  apparently  justifiable. 
However,  this  may  be  the  best  thing  for  him  to  do.  It  may  be 
good  business.  If  he  wishes  to  borrow  money  with  which  to 
build,  he  has  a  better  basis  for  credit.  If  he  puts  his  house  on 
a  good  lot,  there  is  opportunity  of  selling  it  because  of  its  favor- 
able location,  and  thus  the  danger  of  embarrassment  is  averted. 
One  can  afford  to  borrow  money  to  build  on  a  good  lot,  for  the 
reason  that  there  is  little  danger  of  losing  either  the  lot  or  the 
money.  The  house  and  the  lot,  if  it  rates  well  in  the  public 
mind,  can  be  easily  sold.  The  lot  should  not  be  selected  or  the 
house  built,  if  its  sale  is  not  entirely  possible.  There  are  towns 
as  well  as  localities  in  which  no  one  of  moderate  means  can 
afford  to  buy  or  build.  Yet  such  locations  are  often  selected 
because  they  are  cheap,  and  living  is  cheap.     The  fact  of  this 


314  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 

cheapness  is  against  it.  The  property  is  cheap  because  it  is 
worth  little  or  nothing.  It  is  cheap  because  no  one  can  get  out 
what  he  puts  into  it.  This  may  apply  to  a  lot  in  a  particular 
town,  a  particular  part  of  a  town,  or  to  property  in  general  in  a 
county  or  a  State.  Thus  it  is  that  no  one  of  moderate  means 
can  afford  to  buy  absolutely  cheap  property. 

A  young  man  once  went  to  an  architect  to  advise  with  him 
in  regard  to  the  selection  of  a  lot.     He  said,  — 

"  There  are  two  lots  on  a  certain  street  that  I  can  get  for 
$1,200  each.  That  is  a  little  more  than  I  want  to  pay,  as  even 
then  I  would  have  to  borrow  more  money  than  I  wish  in  order 
to  build  my  house.  One  of  the  best  lots  I  know  anything  about 
is  on  another  street,  but  I  can  hardly  think  of  that,  for  they  ask 
$1,500  for  it." 

"  I  know  the  lot,"  said  the  architect,  "  and  the  $1,500  lot  is 
the  one  to  buy.  The  $1,200  lots  are  of  questionable  value. 
The  surrounding  conditions  are  such  that  their  value  is  not 
liable  to  increase.  The  $1,500  lot  is  in  the  swim;  two  squares 
below,  lots  cannot  be  bought  for  $2,400  ;  in  fact,  they  are  not  in 
the  market.  They  are  owned  by  people  who  desire  to  hold 
them.  In  two  years  you  will  be  reasonably  certain  to  realize  at 
least  twice  the  difference  between  the  values  of  the  $1,500  and 
the  $1,200  lots.  In  one  case,  the  value  of  the  lot  is  not  liable 
to  increase  ;  it  may  decrease.  In  the  other  instance,  there  is 
reasonable  certainty  of  a  large  increase  within  a  short  time.  It 
is  on  the  edge  of  high  values." 

"  But  I  shall  have  to  borrow  so  much  money  with  which  to 
build,  if  I  take  the  high-priced  lot." 

"What  of  it?  Say  your  house  is  going  to  cost  you  $3,000. 
You  say  you  have  $2,800  in  cash.  In  one  instance  you  would 
have    to   borrow   $1,400,   and   in   the   other  $1,700.     You   are 


HOW   TO    SECURE  A   HOME.  315 

running  much  less  risk  in  borrowing  $1,700  than  you  are  in 
borrowing  Si, 400.  If  you  had  to  sell,  there  is  a  reasonable  cer- 
tainty that  you  could  always  make  a  profit  on  your  $4,500  in- 
vestment, and  a  very  questionable  probability  as  to  the  $4,200 
investment." 

There  are  those  who  do  some  very  remarkable  things  for 
the  sake  of  keeping  out  of  debt,  which,  in  the  end,  develops 
into  more  loss  than  would  be  possible  in  the  case  of  debt.  For 
instance,  one  will  buy  a  lot  for  $1,500,  and  put  a  $1,500  house 
on  it.  In  time  the  value  of  the  lot  increases  ;  at  the  same 
time  the  value  of  the  house  decreases.  The  lot  in  itself  would 
be  worth  more  if  the  house  were  off  it.  It  is  a  cheap  house 
on  a  good  lot.  Thus  it  is  that  such  property  is  often  sold  and 
the  improvements  counted  as  nothing.  Again,  exactly  the  other 
thing  may  happen.  An  expensive  house  may  be  built  on  a 
cheap  lot.  When  finished  the  house  is  worth  much  less  than 
it  cost  because  it  is  not  well  located.  One  cannot  expect  to 
get  full  value  for  the  lot  without  moving  the  house,  and  alto- 
gether the  situation  is  disagreeable.  How  much  better  it 
would  be,  from  a  business  standpoint,  not  to  build  at  all, 
use  the  money  some  other  way,  or  borrow  enough  money 
to  have  the  house  and  lot  properly  located.  In  one  case 
there  is  positive  loss ;  in  the  other,  a  reasonable  certainty  of 
profit. 

Another  thing  for  a  man  of  moderate  means  to  bear  in  mind 
in  building  a  house  is,  that  the  investments  as  to  the  house  and 
lot  should  be  such  that  in  case  of  rental  the  return  derived 
would  pay  a  fair  interest  on  the  investment,  and  leave  a  suffi- 
cient margin  for  taxes  and  repairs.  As  long  as  this  condition 
exists,  there  need  be  no  fear  of  loss  through  foreclosure.  The 
sale  of  the  property  may  become  necessary  through  embarrass- 


0 


1 6  CONVENIENT  HOUSES. 


ment  in  business,  loss  of  situation,  or  illness;  but  in  such  a  case 
the  property  can  either  be  sold  without  loss,  or  it  can  be  rented 
at  a  figure  that  will  pay  all  fixed  charges,  which  fact  in  itself  estab- 
lishes a  value  above  its  cost  price.  If  these  principles  are  all 
carried  out,  there  is  little  chance  of  loss. 


INDEX. 


"  A  "  DOOR,  226. 

Air  supply  to  heating  apparatus,  75-79. 

American  architecture,  26-28. 

American  architectural  development,  104-105. 

Architects'  estimates,  27S-281. 

Architect,  the,  and  the  housewife,  9-27. 

Architectural  design,  101-105. 

Areas,  206. 

Ash-pits,  206. 

Attic,  62. 

Attic  bedrooms,  63,  138. 

Automatic  heat  regulators,  81. 

Back  plastering,  237. 

Base,  22S,  229. 

Basement,  56. 

Bath-tub,  73,  74,  230,  255-258. 

Bath-tub  wood-work,  230,  231. 

Bedrooms,  60-63. 

Bedrooms  in  attic,  63. 

Bedroom  closets,  61. 

Bedroom,  first  floor,  164. 

Bedrooms,  grates  in,  62. 

Bedroom  for  servants,  62. 

Bond  in  brick-work,  201,  202. 

Brick,  hollow  walls  of,  203. 

Brick  of  wood,  204. 

Brick  joints,  199. 

Brick  pavement,  212. 

Brick  piers,  200. 

Brick,  selection  of  color,  202. 

Brick  veneer,  203. 

Brick-wall  foundations,  200-204. 

Brick-work,  199-206,  209-212. 

Brick-work  bond,  201,  202. 

Broom  closets,  61. 

Broom-rack,  232. 

"  B"  schedule,  26S. 

Building  associations  and  savings  banks,  296, 

297. 
Building  association,  a  new  feature  in,  310. 
Building  association,  object,  302. 


Building  associations,  permanent   plan,  300, 

301. 
Building-association  profits,  295. 
Building-association  report,  302-310. 
Building  associations,  safety  of,  296,  297. 
Building  association,   terminating    plan,   299, 

300. 
Building-association  methods,  29 J— 3 1 1 . 
Building  by  the  day,  2S1. 
Building  contract,  284-2S7. 
Building  material,  cost  of,  273. 
Business  points  in  building,  275-287. 

Capacity  of  cistern,  210. 
Carpenter  work,  213-235. 
Casings  outside,  21S. 
Cathedral  glass,  245. 
Cedar  closet,  232. 
Cellar,  51-53,  133. 
Cellar  brick-work,  203,  204. 
Cellar  closet,  52,  53. 
Cellar  doors,  226,  227. 
Cellar  laundry,  54-5S. 
Cellar  plan,  142. 
Cellar  sink,  254. 
Cellar-sink  wood-work,  230. 
Cellar-way,  outside,  206. 
Cement  pavement,  212. 
Chamber  decoration,  99. 
Chimneys,  204-206. 
Chimnev-breasts,  205,  206. 
Chimney  tops,  204. 
China-closet  fittings,  46. 
China-room,  44-46,  232. 
Cistern,  210,  211. 
Cistern  filter,  211. 
Cistern-water  supply,  71. 
Clock  shelf,  232. 
Closets,  bedroom,  61,  138. 
Closets,  broom,  61. 
Closet  fittings,  231,  232. 
Closet  of  cedar,  232. 


3*7 


i8 


INDEX. 


Coal-bins  in  cellar,  51,  52. 
Colored  bricks,  202,  203. 
Colored,  plastering,  237. 
Color  of  mortar,  202. 
Combination  stairs,  59,  60,  137-141. 
Combination  pantry,  45,  132. 
Competition  in  building,  2S1-2S3. 
Conservatory,  99. 
Contracting  methods,  277-287. 
Copper,  240,  241. 
Cost  of  appurtenances,  271,  272. 
Cost  of  building  material,  273,  274. 
Cost  of  one-story  houses,  163. 
Cost  schedules,  264,  267-269. 
Cost  of  a  house,  264-274. 
Cut  stone  work,  208,  209. 

Damp  course,  200. 

"  D"  door,  227. 

Deck  roof,  216. 

Depth  of  foundation,  200. 

Dining-room,  37,  38,  96-99. 

Dish-warming,  arrangement  for,  84. 

Dish-washing,  11,42. 

Doors  and  frames,  225-227. 

Dough-board,  46,  47. 

Double  joists,  215. 

Down  spouts,  240. 

Draining,  19S,  199. 

Drain  board,  43,  230. 

Drain  connections,  261. 

Drain  from  refrigerator,  241. 

Drain  outside,  71. 

Drain  ventilation,  71. 

Dressed  shingles,  218. 

Drop  siding,  217. 

Dry-box,  48,  232. 

"  E"  door,  227. 

Eastlake,  Charles,  104. 

Estimates  of  architects,  278-281. 

Evaporation  in  traps,  67-6S. 

Evolution  of  a  house-plan,  109-117. 

Excavating,  198.   • 

Excavating  for  plumber,  247,  24S. 

Fifty  convenient  houses,  plans  of,  107. 
Fig.  "  A,"  frontispiece.     Fig.  "  13,"  106. 
Fig.  2,  41. 
Fig-  3'  43- 
Fig.  4,  45- 
Fig.  5,  46. 


Fig.  6,  67. 

Fig.  7,  68. 

Fig.  8,  116. 

Fig.  9,  116. 

Fig.  10,  photographic  view  (page  116). 

Fig.  11,  117- 

Fig.  12,  124. 

Fig-  I3»  *33- 

Fig.  14.  H7- 

Fig.  15,  149. 

Fig.  16,  151. 

Fig.  17,  photographic  view  (page  152). 

Fig.  18,  154. 

Fig.  19,  154. 

Fig.  20,  160. 

Fig.  21,  168. 

Fig.  22,  169. 

Fig.  23,  1  Si. 

Fig.  24,  photographic  view  (page  182). 

Fig.  25,  1 86. 

Fig.  26,  photographic  view  (page  190). 

Fig.  27,  191. 

Fig.  28,  191. 

Fig-  29,  193. 

Fig.  3°.  r99- 

Fig.  31,  205. 

Fig.  32,  206. 

Fig- 33-  2I5- 

Fig.  34,  217. 

Fig.  35,  226. 

Fig.  36,  227. 

Fig.  37,  227. 

Fig.  38,  262. 

Filters  for  cisterns,  211. 

Finish  of  floor,  244. 

Finishing  in  oil,  243,  244. 

Fireplaces  in  bedrooms,  62. 

Fixtures  in  plumbing  enumerated,  66. 

Flashings,  239. 

Flat  roofs,  240. 

Floors,  222,  223. 

Floor  of  kitchen,  49. 

Floor  finish,  244. 

Flour-bin,  47,  233,  234. 

Flues,  203. 

Fly  screens,  228. 

Foundation  depth,  200. 

Foundations,  stone,  207,  208. 

Force-pump,  249. 

Framing,  213-219. 

Framing  lumber,  sizes  of,  213,  214. 

Fresco  tinting,  92. 


INDEX. 


319 


Freezing  of  plumbing,  70,  71. 

Fuel  in  cellar,  51,  52; 

Furnace,  defined,  76. 

Furnace  and  hot-water  combination,  83,  84. 

Furnace-room  in  cellar,  52. 

Galvanized  iron,  241. 
Gas-piping,  237,  238. 
German  siding,  217. 
Glazing,  244,  245. 
Grates  in  bedrooms,  62. 
Grease  sink,  72,  73,  263. 
Gutters,  239. 

Hall,  33-35. 

Hall,  reception,  35,  36. 

Hardware,  245,  246. 

Hard-wood  floors,  223. 

Heating  apparatus,  how  to  get  a  good,  83,  85. 

Heating  and  ventilation,  75-85. 

Heating  by  hot  water,  80,  83. 

Heating  by  steam,  80. 

Heating  by  stoves,  80. 

Heating,  ideal  conditions,  76. 

Heating  plants,  cost  of,  81,  82,  83. 

Heat  regulators,  automatic,  81. 

Height  of  stories,  214. 

Hip  coping,  240. 

Hip  finish,  217. 

Hollow  walls  of  brick,  203. 

Hot-air  flues  in  brick  walls,  203. 

Hot-air  pipes  of  tin,  241. 

Hot-water  boiler,  71. 

Hot  water  and  furnace  combination,  S3,  84. 

Hot-water  heating,  80. 

Hot-water  plumbing,  70. 

Hot-water  system,  252. 

House  decoration,  86-100. 

House  drain,  71. 

House  ventilation,  75,  79. 

Housekeeper,  the,  and  the  architect,  11-15, 

26-28. 
Housekeeping  operations,  16-20. 
How  to  secure  a  home,  289-316. 
Humidity  of  air,  77,  81. 
Hydrant,  249. 

Inside  casings,  228. 
Inside  shutters,  229,  230. 
Inside  finish,  table  of,  224. 
Inside  wood-work,  222-235. 


Joints,  rodded,  199. 

Joists,  214,  215. 

Journey,  a,  through  the  house,  29-105. 

Kitchens,  39-50. 
Kitchen  fittings,  42,  43. 
Kitchen  floor,  49. 
Kitchen  plans,  41,  45. 
Kitchen  pantry,  45-48. 
Kitchen  plastering,  50. 
Kitchen  safe,  48. 
Kitchen  sink,  43,  253,  254. 
Kitchen  tables,  43,  230. 
Kitchen  utensils,  48. 
Kitchen  ventilation,  49. 
Kitchen  wainscoting,  49. 

Landings  for  stairs,  60. 
Lattice  porch,  220. 
Laundry,  54-5S. 
Laundry  fittings,  260,  261. 
Laundry,  low-cost,  55-58. 
Laundry  stove,  56. 
Laundry  tubs,  57. 
Library,  95,  96. 
Lien  laws,  285,  286. 
Lighting  bedrooms,  61,  62. 
Lintels  in  brick-work,  204. 
Locating  the  house,  197. 
Lot,  purchase  of,  312,  316. 
Low-cost  laundrv,  55-58. 
Lumber  for  framing,  213. 

Mantel  costs,  271. 

Mason  work,  199-209. 

Medicine-chest,  232. 

Modern  architects  and  the  housekeeper,  26- 

28. 
Modern  conveniences,  21-25. 
Moisture  in  heated  air,  77-81. 
Monthly  payments,  291-293. 
Mortar,  color  of,  202. 
Mortgages,  310,  311. 
Motor,  251. 

Natural-gas  piping,  238. 
Nickel  fittings,  263. 

Oil  finish,  243,  244. 
Old  colonial  houses,  26,  27. 
One-story  houses,  157-163. 
Ornamental  brick,  203. 


120 


INDEX. 


Outside  cellar-way,  206. 
Outside  finish,  217-221. 
Outside  shutters,  219,  220. 
Outside  steps,  220,  221. 

Painting,  242,  243. 

Paint,  ready  mixed,  242. 

Painting  of  shingles,  216. 

Pantry  boxes,  234. 

Pantry,  combination,  45,  132. 

Pantry  fittings,  46. 

Pantry  shelves,  47. 

Pantry  specification,  233. 

Pantry  utensils,  48. 

Parlor,  35-37,  93-95- 

Pavement  of  brick,  212. 

Pavement  of  cement,  212. 

Permanent  plan,  building   associations, 

301. 
Picture  mouldings,  231. 
Piers  of  brick,  200. 
Pipe  boards,  230. 
Pipe  duct,  70,  230. 
Plastering,  236. 
Plastering,  back,  237. 
Plastering,  gray,  236. 
Plastering  in  kitchen,  50. 
Plate-glass,  245. 

Plans  of  fifty  convenient  houses,  107. 
Plan  Xo.  1,  cost  $1,700,  110. 
Plan  No.  2,  cost  $1,550,  III. 
Plan  No.  3,  cost  $1,550,  112. 
Plan  No.  4,  cost  $1,800,  113. 
Plan  No.  5,  cost  $1,900,  114. 
Plan  No.  6,  cost  $2,600,  115. 
Plan  No.  7,  cost  $2,900,  121. 
Plan  No.  8,  cost  $2,200,  129. 
Plan  No.  9,  cost  $2,500,  132. 
Plan  No.  10,  cost  $2,600,  136. 
Plan  No.  11,  cost  $2,000,  141,  142. 
Plan  No.  12,  cost  $2,600,  144. 
Plan  No.  13,  cost  $1,600,  146. 
Plan  No.  14,  cost  $1,500,  148. 
Plan  No.  15,  cost  $2,550,  150. 
Plan  No.  16,  cost  $2,800,  I £3. 
Plan  No.  17,  cost  $2,200,  154. 
Plan  No.  18,  cost  $1,600,  155. 
Plan  No.  19,  cost  $1,400,  158. 
Plan  No.  20,  cost  $1,200,  158/ 
Plan  No.  21,  cost  $1,700,  161. 
Plan  No.  22,  cost  $Soo,  161. 
Plan  No.  23,  cost  $1,600,  162. 


3°°. 


Plan  No.  24,  cost  $1,100,  162. 

Plan  No.  25,  cost  $1,400,  163. 

Plan  No.  26,  cost  $2,000,  163. 

Plan  No.  27,  cost  $3,000,  165. 

Plan  No.  2S,  cost  $2,800,  165. 

Plan  No.  29,  cost  $2,600,  166. 

Plan  No.  30,  cost  $3,000,  167. 

Plan  No.  31,  cost  $2,400,  169. 

Plan  No.  32,  cost  $4,000,  172. 

Plan  No.  11,  cost  $2,800,  173. 

Plan  No.  34,  cost  $2,500,  174. 

Plan  No.  35,  cost  $2,250,  175. 

Plan  No.  36,  cost  $2,000,  175. 

Plan  No.  y/,  cost  $2,100,  176. 

Plan  No.  38,  cost  $2,000,  177. 

Plan  No.  39,  cost  $3,500,  178. 

Plan  No.  40,  cost  $3,100,  179. 

Plan  No.  41,  cost  $3,400,  179. 

Plan  No.  42,  cost  $2,800,  1S0. 

Plan  No.  43,  cost  $2,200,  183. 

Plan  No.  44,  cost  $5,000,  184. 

Plan  No.  45,  cost  $2,100,  184. 

Plan  No.  46,  cost  $3,400,  185. 

Plan  No.  47,  cost  $10,000,  187. 

Plan  No.  48,  cost  $3,400,  189. 

Plan  No.  49,  cost  $3,400,  190. 

Plan  No.  50,  cost  $10,000,  192. 

Plumbing,  64-74. 

Plumbing  costs,  268-270. 

Plumbing  fixtures,  65. 

Plumbing,  practical,  247-263. 

Porcelain  water-closets,  69. 

Porches,  31,  220. 

Practical  house-building,  195-274. 

Preface,  3,  4. 

Prevention  of  freezing  in  plumbing,  70,  71. 

Privy  vault,  209,  210. 

Purchase  of  a  lot,  312-316. 

Purchase  on  a  rental  basis,  291-293. 


Radiation,  direct,  So,  81. 
Radiation,  indirect,  80,  81. 
Ready  mixed  paint,  242. 
Rear  stairway,  60. 
Reception-hall,  35,  36. 
Reception-hall  decoration,  88,  89. 
Reception-hall  mantel,  89. 
Refrigerator,  47. 
Refrigerator  drain,  48,  241. 
Ridge  coping,  240. 
Ridge  finish,  216,  217. 


INDEX. 


321 


Rodded  joints,  199. 
Roof,  216,  217. 

Safety  in  plumbing,  64. 

Safes,  25S. 

Sash  weights,  219. 

Savings  banks  and  building  associations,  296, 

297. 
Schedule  "  B,"  268. 
Sealed  proposals,  284. 
Second  floor,  the,  59-63. 
Servant's  bedroom,  62. 
Service  pipes,  249. 
Sewer  and  vault  connection,  65. 
Sewer  connection,  72,  261,  262. 
Sewer  gas,  66,  67,  72. 
Sheet  glass,  245. 
Shower-bath,  257. 
Shingles,  216,  217,  218. 
Shingles,  painting  of,  216. 
Shingles,  stained,  218. 
Shingle  walls,  217. 
Shutters,  outside,  219,  220. 
Shutters,  inside,  229,  230. 
Siding,  drop,  217. 
Siding,  German,  217. 
Side-hall  plans,  164-166. 
Sink  in  cellar,  254. 
Sink  in  kitchen,  43,  230,  254. 
Sitting-room,  35,  36,  91. 
Sizes  for  framing  lumber,  213,  214. 
Sliding  doors,  225. 
Soap-box,  48,  49,  232. 
Soft-water  supply,  250. 
Soil  pipe,  66,  67,  253. 
Splash  board,  230,  231. 
Splash  board  in  bath-room,  231. 
Spouts,  240. 
Staining,  exterior,  243. 
Staining,  interior,  243. 
Stained  shingles,  218. 
Stairs,  234,  235. 
Stairs,  combination,  59,  60. 
Stairways,  59,  60. 

Stairway,  combination,  137,  140,  141. 
Stairway,  rear,  60. 
Steam  heating,  So. 
Stone  foundations,  207,  208. 
Stone  sills,  208. 
Stone  steps,  208,  209. 
Stop  beads,  227. 
Stop  cocks,  249. 
Storm  water  connections,  262. 
Stories,  height  of,  214. 


"  S  "  trap,  66,  67,  263. 
Street  washer,  249. 
Stove  heating,  So. 
Stud  walls,  215,  216. 

Tables  in  kitchen,  230. 

Table  of  inside  finish,  224. 

Tank  wood-work,  231. 

Terminating    p'an    in   building   associations, 

299,  300. 
Terra  cotta,  209. 
Tin  hot-air  pipes,  241. 
Tin-work,  239-241. 
Transoms,  226. 
Traps,  66,  67,  263. 
Traps  fail  to  act,  76. 
Trap  screws,  263. 
Trimmer  arch,  205,  206. 
Trimmers,  214. 

Valleys,  239. 

Vault  and  sewer  connection,  65. 
Veneered  doors,  225,  226. 
Veneer  of  brick,  203. 
Ventilation  and  heating,  75-85. 
Ventilation,  drain,  71. 
Ventilation,  house,  75,  79. 
Ventilation  of  kitchen,  49. 
Vestibule,  31-33. 
Vestibule  decoration,  87,  88. 

Wainscoting,  229. 
Wainscoting  in  kitchen,  49. 
Walls  of  shingles,  217. 
Wash-stand,  72,  259,  260. 
Wash-stand  wood-work,  231. 
Waste  pipe,  66,  67. 
Water-closets,  68,  69,  70,  259. 
Water-closets,  porcelain,  69. 
Water-closet,  washout,  68,  69. 
Water-closet  wood-work,  231. 
Water  distribution,  24S. 
Water  for  builder,  197. 
Water  for  laundry,  56,  57. 
Water  motor,  251. 
Water  tank  in  attic,  71. 
Water  seal,  67,  68. 
Windows,  218,  219. 
Wooden  brick,  204. 
Wood  carving,  90. 
Wood-work  for  bath-room,  231. 
Wood  for  inside  finish,  225. 
Wood-work  for  plumber,  230,  231. 
Wood-work  for  water-closet,  231. 


"THIS    BEAUTIFUL    BOOK." 


Standard    Union. 


BEAUTIFUL     HOUSES. 

BY    LOUIS    H.  GIBSON,   ARCHITECT. 

Author   of   "Convenient   Houses." 
With    over    250   Illustrations.     Svo.     Cloth.     $3.00. 

SINCE  the  publication  of  his  "Convenient  Houses"  Mr.  Gibson  has  been  abroad,  where 
ho  made  a  careful  study  of  the  national  architecture  of  many  countries.  Mr.  Gibson  is  re- 
markable for  the  skill  with  which  he  manages  to  utilize  ordinary  waste  spaces,  to  place  every 
possible  convenience  in  the  housekeeper's  hands;  in  short,  to  apply  common-sense  in  an  uncom- 
mon manner.  No  one  interested  in  building  a  new  house,  or  altering  over  an  old  one,  could  fail 
to  obtain  valuable  hints  from  his  books.  The  volume  is  sumptuously  illustrated,  and  will  be  a 
delight  to  all  connoisseurs,  both  of  architecture  and  of  book-making. 

Contents    of    the    Book. 

HOUSE=BUILDING  AN  ART.  Ugly  houses,  uneducated  architects,  cost  never  measures  the 
artistic,  development  of  art  in  building,  the  primitive  house,  first  principles,  the  Greek  temple  and  the 
Indian  hut,  the  old  Roman  and  the  Old"  Colonial,  Romanesque  architecture,  Gothic  architecture,  decline 
of  the  Gothic,  the  Renaissance,  modern  architecture  of  Europe,  characteristics  of  modern  American 
architecture,  etc. 

THE  WORLD'S  HOMES.  French  domestic  architecture,  twelfth  century  building,  floor  plans 
of  domestic  structures,  picturesque  stair  towers,  half-timber  architecture  of  the  twelfth  century,  our 
use  of  French  examples,  Breton  customs,  furniture,  French  chaieaux,  English  domestic  architecture, 
domestic  buildings  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  picturesque  details,  from  the  Gothic  to 
the  Renaissance,  modern  architecture  of  Germany,  Swiss  architecture,  Old  Colonial  architecture,  a 
classic  development,  characteristic  New  England  architecture,  luxurious  character  of  the  Old 
Colonial  in  the  South,  etc. 

SOME  HOUSE  PLANS.  Relation  of  the  exterior  to  the  location,  the  dormers,  the  inside  finish, 
mantels,  a  centre-hall  plan,  frame  building,  a  little  room  for  cloaks  and  wraps,  decorative  forms,  interior 
photographs,  external  details,  Greek  mouldings,  a  wide  central  hall  open  at  each  end,  large  rooms,  a 
picturesque  stairway,  color  schemes  in  decoration,  description  of  floor  plan,  a  fine  location,  a  river  front, 
picturesque  stair-hall,  a  smoking-room  under  the  balcony,  etc. 

MATERIALS  AND  DETAILS.  Shingle-houses,  the  proper  surroundings,  the  stains  of  time, 
artificial  stain,  examples,  slate  walls,  fireplaces  and  mantels,  character  in  mantels,  tile  facings,  onyx 
and  brick,  doors,  the  defensive,  hospitality,  material,  foreign  examples,  domestic  doors,  stairs,  foreign 
examples,  broad  landings,  Old  Colonial  stairways,  iron  railings,  furniture,  architects' designs,  side- 
boards, bookcases,  seats,  lounges,  screens,  grilles,  walls  and  ceilings,  etc. 

THE  ARCHITECT.  The  architect  and  the  housewife,  business  and  the  arts,  costs,  proper  under- 
standing of  the  client's  wishes,  plenty  of  time  to  make  plans. 


Press    Notices. 


New   York  Sun. 


"  A  handsome  book,  copiously  illustrated,  giving 
foreign  examples  in  domestic  architecture,  a  collec- 
tion of  American  house  plans,  and  including  a  con- 
sideration of  materials  and  details  for  the  benefit  of 
the  artistic  house-builder." 

Chicago    Evening    Post. 

"A  most  timely  publication,  and  will  find  ad- 
mirers among  amateur  builders  as  well  as  trained 
architects." 

Boston    Advertiser. 

"  Mr.  Gibson's  book  is  something  more  than  an 
enunciation  of  theories.  Under  the  headings  '  Some 
House  Plans'  and  'Materials  and  Details,'  there 
is  a  practical  working  out  of  the  architect'.--  gen- 
eral idea.  This  part  of  the  work  is  most  valu- 
ably suggestive,  and  the  intending  house-builder 
will  find  it  greatly  to  his  interest  to  consult  Mr. 
Gibson's  books.  The  present  volume  is  one  in  which 
marked  utility  is  combined  with  great  beauty." 

Detroit    Free    Press. 

"  It  would  hardlv  seem  possible  that  a  work  on 
house-building  could  be  such  pleasant  reading  as  is 
this  handsome  volume." 


Congregationalist. 

"  His  former  book  met  a  real  need.  His  present 
work  is  full  of  wise  and  practical  suggestions  as  to 
securing  beauty  without  sacrificing  convenience  or 
running  into  extravagance.  All  about  to  build  or 
reconstruct  a  house  will  find  it  helpful." 

Indianapolis    News. 

"This  work  is  a  credit  to  Mr.  Gibson  and  to  his 
profession.  It  is  a  reflection  of  deep  knowledge  of 
architecture,  and  of  experience  in  the  practice  of  the 
profession.  The  illustrations  are  abundant  and  ex- 
cellent, and  the  whole  is  a  beautiful  piece  of  book- 
making.  An  appropriate  cover  is  designed  by 
David  Gibson." 

Literary    World. 

"The  author  is  an  architect  of  knowledge,  ideas, 
and  tastes.  .  .  .  To  any  family  projecting  a  home 
of  their  own  this  volume  will  bring  a  multitude  of 
helps." 

Bookseller,    Newsdealer    and 
Stationer. 

"  One  of  the  handsomest  and  at  the  same  time  most 
practical  books  ever  published  by  the  Crowells." 


For  Sale  by  all  Booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid  by  the  Publishers  on  receipt  of  price. 

T.   Y.    CROWELL   &   CO.,    New   York   and    Boston. 


